Nightmare Journey
by the Prince's Jewel
Summary: Vegeta gets ripped to shreds. Tatoosh warning.
1. Capture & Escape

(somewhat AU)

"Trunks? Have you seen your father?"

"No. Not since he left to go spar with Goku." The lavender haired teen returned to his video game.

Bulma turned back to the phone. "He left to spar with you, Goku. Oh, I'm not sure." She raised her voice, "Trunks, when was that?"

"What?"

"When did Vegeta leave?"

"Yesterday morning."

"Trunks said he left yesterday, Goku!" A hint of unease crept into her voice. "Didn't he get there?" A smile at the answer. "So, he's probably just gone off to sulk again. No, it's just like him. He calls it training, I call it sulking. Yes, I'll let him know you called. And send him over to spar again, if he's up to it. Okay, Goku. I'll talk to you later."

Vegeta moaned softly, aware at first of nothing more than pain. He couldn't remember why he would hurt. Had he been in a fight? Blown up the gravity chamber again? His stomach roiled. Was he sick? He was never sick!

His head, that was where it hurt most. Throbbing, in fact. A shaking hand pressed against his temple. No wound. He slowly explored the most painful spots. No cuts, but… had he had a sparring match against Kakarot? That would certainly explain things. His eyes opened. He blinked.

This was not his room.

Vegeta had found his clothing scattered across the floor. A look in the mirror showed more bruises than he'd had for a long time… the last real match he'd had against Kakarot, in fact. He'd found and used the shower, though he couldn't say he felt any better. He'd also managed to establish that wherever he was, he'd never been there before.

He was still so tired! And his stomach – he didn't think he'd be able to keep anything down. If he could find anything, that was. Maybe it would just be best to lie down for a bit longer. He stared in surprise at his hands when he reached for the blanket. Trembling? What was wrong with him? What had happened?

There was blood on the sheets.

He remembered fighting this time, but not what he'd fought. More bruises, more blood, and his clothes were gone. He tried the door, found it locked, and again couldn't summon the strength to knock it down. He'd already been sick twice, the food he'd found on the small table that morning – evening? – hadn't lasted very long. There was water, and he'd not been able to keep that down.

Vegeta curled on the bed, wrapping his fingers around his knees to try and stop the shaking. He leaned forward, resting his head, trying to understand what had happened. He couldn't remember coming here. He didn't know how long it had been. He was sick, and he was weak. He didn't appear to be out of shape, yet when he tried to train, he was exhausted within a few minutes. And he couldn't summon his power!

Come to think of it, he couldn't sense anyone, either.

Vegeta lay on the bed. He hadn't been able to get up, even to get the food that still sat on the small table. His eyes were half-open, his chest rising and falling as he panted. Sweat beaded on his body. Something had changed. He recognized the change, but couldn't react to it. And then the pain started again.

"… so bad?" Goku walked past Chi-Chi, on the phone with Bulma, and headed for the refrigerator. "It's not like he's ever treated you well. Or Trunks, for that matter." Goku paused in the act of preparing a large snack, his interest caught. "Well, if Vegeta does come back…" the rest was lost as Goten burst into the room, intent on getting some food.

Vegeta still hadn't gone home? Odd. Goku saved his snack from his youngest son, and carried it outside. No, Vegeta wasn't at home. He was off to the west, same as he had been whenever Goku had thought to check in on him. But, it didn't feel like Vegeta was training. His energy signal was far too weak. Something was wrong. Goku put two fingers to his forehead, and vanished.

"Vegeta?" It was dark here! "Vegeta?" Goku banged into a table. "I need some light." A second later, golden light filled the small room. "Vegeta! No!"

His grandfather's house. He hadn't been here since… well, since he'd met Bulma. Goku carried his burden carefully inside. The small cot he'd slept on as a boy was too small for the Prince, Goku had to lay him on the floor. The blankets were old, but warm, he tucked them around the unconscious form carefully. Food and water. He'd have to get both. Maybe the well hadn't gone dry.

It hadn't. Goku pulled up a bucketful of fresh water and carried it back inside. He dipped out a cupful, and carefully propped Vegeta up. He managed to get a little of the water down the prince. Most of it trailed from between the battered lips and down to soak the dried blood on his chest. Goku found a soft cloth, and set to work gently. "They won't find you here, Vegeta. I doubt even Bulma remembers this place exists. You're safe."

Not until later did he think that that was a silly thing to tell the proud, independent prince.

Broken.

Vegeta lay silent, trying not to tremble. Trying to appear as if he were still asleep. He wasn't as disoriented as he had been. But so weak! If they found out he was awake, they'd come. And he wouldn't be able to stop them. He tensed involuntarily as the door opened.

Water being poured. Lighter steps – longer stride. A hand against his head, and he barely managed to control the urge to flinch away. He felt the blankets being moved, whimpered without meaning to. "It's alright, Vegeta. I've got to change the bandages. Your fever's gone down, and these wounds look better than they did."

Kakarot? Kakarot was here now? "Don't tense up." A warm, wet cloth sponging at his belly. "Time for the medicine. It stings a little, well, a lot, actually. There aren't any senzu beans ripe now." Vegeta thought he tried to scream.

Goku sat down at the table, where his share of dinner waited. Vegeta was healing. And finally starting to respond. But the scent of fear that had struck him when the door opened, that had redoubled when he'd moved the blankets to take care of those gashes, bothered him. He knew the prince had been tortured, but he'd lived through so much! What had happened to terrorize him so badly? Or maybe, what had awakened old terrors long suppressed? Goku pushed the dirty plates away. If that was what had happened, it might be awhile before Vegeta healed. If he did.

He sighed, and went to sleep next to his patient.

The scent of absolute terror woke him. Vegeta, whom he'd spooned in his sleep, was whimpering, making tiny motions to escape the arm Goku had wrapped around him. He went still when Goku moved his arm and leaned over him. "Vegeta? Did I hurt you? Let me get the light on." A bit of groping in the dark, and Goku got the lamp turned on. Vegeta's face was chalk white, eyes clenched shut, his teeth through his bottom lip as he tried to suppress the whimpering. "Vegeta! It's all right. You're safe. You're with me. It's Goku. I found you. You're safe, Vegeta. You're safe. You're with me. Oh, I did hurt you! I must have ripped the bandage while I was sleeping!"

The scent of fear hadn't abated any by the time Goku got the water warmed and the medicine ready. He pulled the blanket away, and the old bandage. "Vegeta, just relax. I've got to clean up the blood." After a moment's thought, Goku grabbed Vegeta's hand. "Here. Hold on to me." He began the delicate task of cleaning the blood from the gashes he'd inadvertently reopened. "There's five gashes, Vegeta, pretty deep. Most of the rest of them are healed up." He wasn't sure if his babbling was helping or not, but Vegeta didn't seem quite as tense.

"We all thought that you'd gone to do more training, and that you wouldn't want to be bothered. I knew where you were, from your energy. I just wasn't thinking of you being in any kind of trouble. That's more Yamcha's line, and only with pretty girls." The gashes were still bleeding sluggishly, but the medicine would help. "Just, Bulma and Chi-Chi were talking, and I realized that you'd been gone a long time. With no fluctuations like I usually feel when you're training. I knew you were still wherever you'd gone, and then I realized that your energy was a lot lower. Too low. So, I used Instant Transmission."

His grip on Vegeta's hand tightened, and he grabbed at the medicine. "I blew the place up getting you out of there. And I brought you here. It's been… I was about ten years old, I guess, the last time I was here. We've been here two weeks now. I've got the medicine ready, here goes."

This time, Vegeta did scream. He didn't have the control not to. Whatever it was Kakarot was using felt as bad as getting the marks had in the first place. His back arced off the floor; the hand Kakarot didn't hold trying to stop the agony. It was captured, and the pain spread before his entire gut numbed. "There, Vegeta, that's the worst of it. Now I'll just bandage you back up, and we can go back to sleep."

Goku did go to sleep, one hand resting on Vegeta's shoulder. Vegeta didn't. His mind scrambled madly, trying to piece together the new turn of events. He wasn't being drugged anymore, because Kakarot had found him and taken him someplace. Kakarot was touching him. No, no! No. No. Kakarot didn't hurt anyone. He was safe with Kakarot. Kakarot would take care of him. He was safe. He had to use the bathroom.

Vegeta recovered much more slowly than Goku had thought he would. The stomach wounds hadn't been the worst wounds Vegeta had received, and as he began to get his strength back, he fought against having the others taken care of, though he couldn't manage the care himself. The struggles, which Goku didn't have any trouble winning, only prolonged the healing. Finally, Goku decided to take what he considered a drastic measure – using the prince's weakness against him.

He caught Vegeta from behind, pinning the man's arms, and pulled him firmly back against him. "This is me, Vegeta. Stop fighting. Listen, feel. You know me. I'm not going to hurt you." He continued soothing the injured prince, until Vegeta finally stopped struggling. Even then, he didn't let go until Vegeta had relaxed. "There. That's better. You can't take care of some of these injuries, I have to do it. Every time you fight me, they rip again, and don't heal like they should. Do you understand?"

Ever so slowly, Vegeta nodded. Goku sighed, and released his arms, though he still held the battered prince. Vegeta seemed to shrink into himself, and Goku was surprised at how much the other trembled. "Vegeta?" He felt a drop against his own arm, then another. Vegeta – crying?

Kakarot tended his wounds, and he forced himself not to fight against the gentle ministrations. He was able to sit up now, even stand for short periods of time. Walking was still beyond his capabilities, and he couldn't focus his energy to fly. He couldn't focus his energy for anything. He was finally able to eat and drink with only the minimum of assistance. His hands sometimes still trembled so much he couldn't hold fork or cup, on those days, Kakarot fed him like a child.

And the other still slept right next to him. He was there when Vegeta woke screaming from nightmares he couldn't remember. He was there to add another blanket because the prince was shivering. He was always there, often close enough to touch.

And Vegeta sometimes reached out for him, for the comfort the other would offer. For the feeling of safety, because he couldn't save himself.

He still couldn't remember how he'd been caught. He blocked much of what he'd been through, refusing to confront what had happened. He was a broken shell of the man he had been. He had been strong, confident, arrogant, defiant. An elite, royal warrior, the prince of his race, destroyer of many worlds, a savior of this one. Now, shattered, broken, unsure. Dependent on a third-class clown, the only other surviving Saiyan, a man who could care less about his heritage and had never understood Vegeta's pride.

A man who did not need to understand, now, because he had no pride left.

Goku got Vegeta up, helping him walk around the small cabin. Vegeta leaned heavily on him, his steps slow and uncertain. A parody of the confident strut the prince had always used. Every day they did this, until Vegeta was finally able to walk with the cane that Goku provided. They went outside that day. Just a short excursion, down to the stream.

Goku swam while Vegeta rested against a tree. He breathed heavily, his elbows planted on his knees, head in his hands. Tears ran silently down his face. Such a short walk. But he had been so weak when they'd arrived that he had nearly fallen to the ground. Vestiges of his former self had refused to allow it, and he had managed to settle and arrange himself as if there was no problem. Now, that weakness overcame him. His head drooped as he fell into an exhausted slumber.

"Hey, Vegeta! Look what I…" Goku caught sight of the slumped form. The fish he had caught was released as he leapt from the water. It only took him a moment to realize the prince was asleep. He dropped to the ground, studying the other man.

Vegeta had always been small, slender. But looking at him now, in the sunlight, Goku wondered if he'd been right in not taking Vegeta to Capsule Corp. The trim, muscular form he remembered from sparring matches was gone, leaving a wasted, skeletal figure. Vegeta had never had extra fat to begin with, now he had none at all. His skin stretched tight across shrunken muscles and bone. His face was etched with pain, his hair dry and brittle instead of glossy and soft.

Had he made a mistake? Would the doctors at Capsule Corp. have been a better choice? He thought again of how panicked Vegeta had been when it was just him, someone he knew, and couldn't imagine having left him to be cared for by strangers and machines. No. He'd made the right decision. He had to keep Vegeta safe, help him recover.

Goku pulled the smaller man close, and carried him back to the cottage.

He was walking without the cane now. Sometimes, he swam in the stream. He had done a little fishing, some hunting. He could fly again, as a child just learning could. Control of his energy was sporadic, so he sometimes crashed. Kakarot trained everyday, Vegeta watching. His mind remembered the moves, his body seemed unable to make them. His training resembled the awkward first attempts of a toddler.

The last of the wounds healed. Slowly, he put on more flesh, built up his muscle. His control improved, his training becoming more fluid. His hair became luxurious again, and the trembling stopped. The lines of pain left his face.

The fear didn't leave his eyes, and the nightmares became more frequent. More often than not, he would wake to the sound of himself screaming, huddling against Kakarot like a frightened child, comforted by the strong arms and liquid voice. He found himself scooting close when the other lay down to sleep, sometimes not sleeping himself until Kakarot flung an arm over him.

And it worried Goku. Physically, the prince improved. But he wouldn't go anywhere unless Goku did, except the bathroom. His childlikeness, the fear of the dark, the nightmares, not wanting to be or sleep alone – these were nothing like Vegeta. And his silence, broken only by whimpers or screams when he slept, was unnerving. At last, Goku took him home.

They would find him if he screamed. Vegeta bit his lip hard, drawing blood. His terror filled gaze darted around the room. His room. The small one in the gravity chamber. He sat up, reached for the cup at the side of the bed. He dropped it, shaking too hard to hold on to it. They could find him here. They'd taken him from here. He wasn't safe… his power erupted as he screamed.

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'kay now. I've got two different versions of this. One has that odd thing known as a male pregnancy plot. I had a lot more fun writing something so weird. The other version is the first one modified. I think I got all the pregnancy references removed. So the question of the day is, which version do you want? Pregnant Saiyan, or no pregnant Saiyan?

Er, yes. This does get kinda yaoi/shounen-ai (did I spell that right?) It's thoroughly weird in both versions. J 


	2. Plea for Affection

It was a good thing the senzu beans had finally ripened, Goku thought as he dug through the rubble that had been part of Capsule Corp. Trunks and Bulma had both been caught in the blast, and the only things that had saved them was the speed at which they were rescued, and the little beans. No one had found Vegeta yet. His energy was so faint Goku wasn't even sure he was digging in the right place, until he found Vegeta's hand. He worked faster, uncovering the prince, and forcing a senzu down his throat.

The wounds vanished. "Vegeta? Can you hear me?"

Obsidian eyes opened, the terror that had caused the blast obvious. Vegeta looked up at Goku, and tears began slipping from his eyes.

"Oh, Vegeta," Goku said softly. He wrapped the smaller man in his arms, holding him until the wracking sobs subsided. "I guess I better take you home with me."

They put him in Gohan's old room. Chi-Chi would have protested, but Goku took her aside and told her exactly what kind of shape Vegeta had been in when he'd found him, and about the nightmares that still plagued the prince. She subsided – not quietly – but allowed the new arrival. Her main complaint was having to cook for another Saiyan appetite.

It didn't take her long to realize that Goku had been right; that something was very wrong with the prince. He didn't insult Goku, and more importantly, ate about half of what she'd expected him to. He jumped and cowered away if she walked in on him unexpectedly. He also did any chore she assigned him, without protesting. And he still wouldn't talk.

Goten moved in with him after the third night he woke up screaming. The young demi-Saiyan's uncanny resemblance to his father seemed to ease the prince, though Goten found it a bit odd for Vegeta to be following him or his father around like a puppy. The two would take Vegeta fishing and hunting, swimming and camping. They went for walks and devil-may-care flights, and trained every day.

His appetite improved, and gradually, the haunted look left his eyes. And Chi-Chi, fed up with his silence, told him he wasn't getting fed if he didn't start talking. 

Goten sprawled on the couch, watching cartoons. Vegeta slept, his head resting against the boy's shoulder. Chi-Chi, who'd just finished making supper, was planning on announcing such when she realized that Goten had his arm around the prince. "Goten, what are you doing?"

"Watching Inu-Yasha, why?"

"With Vegeta?"

"Huh?" Commercial break, Goten looked from Vegeta to his mother, confusion on his face. "No, Vegeta fell asleep during Wheel of Fortune. He's watching the insides of his eyelids."

"Supper's ready." She was going to have to have a talk with Goku. He could speak with their son. They had the same brain wavelength.

"Huh?" Definitely the same brain wavelength, Chi-Chi thought in exasperation. Slowly and carefully, she explained again, this time with simpler terms.

"Oh! Well, of course Goten cares about Vegeta. So do I. What's the big deal?" She glared at him. "Um, you don't mean friends? Oh. Oh. Oh!" It finally penetrated, and his eyes widened. "Chi-Chi, that's ridiculous! Goten's got a girlfr… oops! I wasn't supposed to mention her."

"Vegeta?" Goten helped the older Saiyan back to his feet. "You don't look so good. Do… are you sick?"

A slight pause, as Vegeta took a breath. Then, he shook his head. He wasn't sick, just hungry. Chi-Chi had meant what she said, and browbeaten (read harpy-screamed) her husband and son into not sneaking him any food. Once she'd found out they were, that was.

"Hungry?"

Vegeta's lips moved soundlessly when he tried to answer. Frustrated, he nodded, shrugging helplessly, still unable to express himself verbally. He'd gotten hungry enough to even sink to eating bugs and worms when he hadn't been able to catch anything else. 

"Maybe… Look, I know whatever happened was bad. But Gohan, he's a doctor. If you'll let him, maybe he can help?"

Vegeta's face went white. He had more fear of needles now than Goku did, though the others hadn't learned that yet. It was a doctor who had drugged him, kept him so weak and helpless. He remembered the white coat as the man bent over him, felt the scalpel slicing through his skin. The other things that had been done….

He bent double, retching blood. 

Gohan stepped from the room, troubled. His father had remained with Vegeta. "Gohan? Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine, Goten. He just needs time to recover, psychologically. Physically, all he needs is food."

"Mother…"

"I'm going to speak with her."

"I think I will go," Goten looked down the hallway at the window, "outside someplace."

Gohan laughed. "I would!"

Vegeta leaned back against Kakarot, trying to stop the tremors racing through his body. The taller Saiyan wrapped an arm around him, his other hand rubbing gently along Vegeta's tightly crossed arms. "Relax, Vegeta. You heard Gohan. You just need a little more time, is all. Then you'll be back to your old self."

His old self wouldn't have stood for Kakarot being so close, or accepted the sympathy and compassion. His old self wouldn't have turned, nuzzling against the younger man, pleading for affection. And his old self wouldn't have crumpled into sobs when the younger man left, instead, not understanding the silent plea. His old self would have turned his nose up at this weakness, and probably killed himself to escape the shame.

Goten crept in through the hallway window. His mother was still arguing with Gohan, and he could hear his father's softer voice trying to reason with her. He slipped into the room he shared with Vegeta. Already dark, but it _had _been late by the time Gohan had arrived. He sighed, and shrugged out of his clothes before slipping into the bed.

"It's just me," he whispered as the other whimpered. "They're still going at it downstairs, so I'm not about to go down there. Gohan says you've got to recover psychologically. I'll have to go look that up, though, cause I don't know what he meant."

Vegeta smiled through his tears. The boy was just like his father, patently clueless yet intelligent, goodhearted and caring. He relaxed as the boy curled around him, an arm sliding across his chest, the hand cupping his face.

"It's gonna be alright, you know. Daddy won't let anything happen to you." The teen nuzzled against Vegeta, getting comfortable. His lips brushed against skin as he continued, "He may be third-class by Saiyan standards, but he'll take out anyone who threatens you. You're one of his friends."

The baka always did fight better if his friends were threatened, Vegeta thought, drifting off to sleep.


	3. Nightmare

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Tatoosh: Yes, I am a horrible person. I take all the mean I can't take out in the real world, and hurt my favorite character with it. It's despicable of me, it really is. But then again, angst is such a fun thing. (If that makes sense.) It stays pretty dark, just the darkness switches to different characters for a time. Although, there are some sappy happy moments. One vote for weird. Got it. And yep, Goten's a happy, affectionate sprite. I like him that way.

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otaku: ooo! Fearsensing! Then I did good. And you want a pregnant Vegeta? Hmmm… *marks it down*

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Nasiya: Oh, thank you! J Um… I have no idea why he didn't tell Bulma at first. He's Goku, he does stuff like that? There are actually several very good pregnant Goku stories. Unfortunately, as I am not looking at my favorite stories page, I can't remember the name of one. *marks down mpp only if Vegeta isn't the mom* Yes, my Chi-Chi is mean. Funny… whenever she gets in one of my stories, she's a nasty person. I'll have to work on that. And yes, this is typed up - to a point. Once I hit it, I'm going to have to hope my writer's block has been blasted on this story.

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Anonymous: Prefer not, but both or either. Um, okay… except I don't think I'm allowed to do both. If so, maybe I will.

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Kakarott Lover: Read on to find out some of what happened to the most adored prince ever! It's horrible. *marks down vote for pregnant Vegeta*

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db726: My cup of tea. Hmm… I think I'll be scared of myself for awhile! Read on….

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_"Vegeta, be a good boy for me."_

"Roll over, puppy."

"Let's try the acid, doctor."

Vegeta whimpered, shuddered. Goten patted him, murmuring something.

_"Give me the spikes."_

"Just a little cut, right here."

Squirming against the bonds that held him, watching the knife, unable to escape.

"A bit of salt, perhaps?"

"It's not as much fun when he doesn't scream."

"Oh, that's not hot enough. It should be glowing white, not red."

"A bit more of the muscle relaxant, doctor. He's able to tense up again. We don't want him to escape."

On the floor, crawling, trying to find a way out.

"Such a naughty, naughty boy. I'll have to punish you." Needles approaching his skin, then the toys she liked to use.

Goten jerked awake as Vegeta screamed. The prince writhed on the bed, screaming mindlessly, eyes open but seeing only his nightmares. His body arced, stiffened, and the screams stopped abruptly when Goten resorted to punching him in the gut to wake him.

"Vegeta. Hey! It's alright. I got you." Goten straddled the prince, pulling him into a tight embrace. "There, you see? I've got you. Nobody else. Just me. You're safe here. You're safe."

Where, who? The words penetrated slowly. Goten. It was Goten. Kakarot's youngest son. He was safe, at Kakarot's house. He raised his arms, clutching desperately at the teen as the terror slowly abated. He was safe, safe. He rested his head on the boy's chest, letting the tears flow. He was safe. The woman couldn't get him here. "Can't find me here."

Goten, stroking the other man's back, was startled to hear the words that were so mixed in with the sobs. Vegeta was afraid someone would find him? But, as his fingers traced the scars left from the ordeal, he understood. "No, Vegeta. They won't find you here. We'll make sure of that."

He let himself be held, as the tremors that wracked him eased. His grip loosened, shifted to the boy's waist. Other than that, he didn't move, tears tracking down his face to Goten's chest and stomach. The boy held him gently, stroking away the tenseness, his head bowed so that his lips just brushed against Vegeta's forehead as he crooned a quiet little melody. It was a lullaby, but Vegeta didn't know that. He just knew it soothed the terror that had held him, made him feel safe. His lashes fluttered as he fell under the song's spell, and he soon went limp in Goten's arms.

The door creaked. "Goten?"

"It's alright now, Dad. He's gone back to sleep." Goten shifted so that he sat next to the prince, rather than on him, and lowered him gently to the bed. "He talked, Dad. He said, 'Can't find me here.' But he was crying so hard I could barely understand him. Daddy, what happened to him?"

The plea in his son's voice was painful. Goku shook his head, going to sit by his son on the bed. "I don't know for sure, Goten. I just know it was really bad. He was cut up and bleeding when I found him, and from the looks of him, it'd been going on awhile. Maybe the whole time he'd been gone. He was starving, and drugged out of his mind. And he was scared. Terrified. There weren't any senzu beans ready at the time, and I didn't have any. He had to heal the hard way, and fought to keep me from treating some of the worst wounds. He couldn't stand to be touched, not then. I had to take advantage of how weak he was just to put medicine on, or to bandage him."

Goku looked down at the sleeper. "He's doing so much better now, except for the nightmares. Gohan thinks those will pass in time, but it will take his mind longer to heal than his body. The trauma of what happened has affected his mind, and he hasn't recovered from it yet."

"That's why he acts so different?"

"Yeah." Goku ruffled his son's hair. "You better get some sleep. See you at breakfast."

"Okay." The door shut behind Goku. Goten looked down at Vegeta, and grinned. "You sure like being touched now, though, don't you?" He brushed a kiss across Vegeta's cheek, then snuggled down against him. "That's okay. I don't mind."

"So, how's my dad?" Trunks pummeled Goten's character.

"Fighting better than I am right now," Goten replied, jerking on the controller as he tried to get his man back up. "Gohan came by to see him last night. Ha!" He'd knocked Trunk's man down.

"Yeah? What'd he say?"

"Um…" Goten hit pause, making Trunks protest. "I have to think! He said that physically, your dad's doing fine, but there was a lot of trauma and the psychogic healing is going kinda slow." The game resumed.

"Psycho-what?"

"Dad said his mind got hurt, and he isn't healing very good," Goten translated. "I win."

"Does somebody still have to stay with him at night?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't bother me."

"You're staying with him?"

"Mom wanted Dad back in bed."

Trunks made a face. "I so did not need that mental image."

Goten had to think that one over. "Oh, gross! Thanks so much!" Then his eyes twinkled with wicked mirth. "But the idea of me and your dad sleeping together isn't a problem?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I… OH MY KAMI!!!! Tell me you did not just say that!"

"Okay," Goten said agreeably. "I didn't just say that. What didn't I just say?"

"Goten, you're impossible. Let's go train."

"Okay!"

Goten wasn't really sleeping with his father, was he? Well, not sleeping but… eww! Trunks stared up at his ceiling. There was no way his father would stand for such a thing. Except, his father wasn't… normal anymore. He wouldn't… would he? Goten hadn't meant… eww! He flopped over onto his stomach, burying his head in his pillow. "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer….."

Sometimes there's only one way to take your mind off something you don't really want to think about. Especially when you considered that he and Goten had… "Ninety-two bottles of beer on the wall! Ninety-two bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around…" Trunks added the pantomime and very deliberately sang off-key. (Is there a key to that song?)


	4. Orphans

Yes, I decided which bit to chop out for this update. (Don't give me that funny look!) Nightmare Journey is one big chunk at home, so I have to do a little cutting and pasting when I decide where the chapters are. I have an overabundance of votes now for a pregnant Vegeta. So, I am going now with the baby version.

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Tatoosh: I am going to remind you real quick that I did warn you. Goten is happy & affectionate with everyone. He's my sprite. The torture is almost over, at least. *consults original* Okay, there's a bit more before the recovering gets going better, and the loving starts. After that, well, stop reading.

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Liminchan: another preggie Veggie vote! Some of the abuse may be a bit off, I'm no doctor, and certainly not well-versed on Saiyan physiology Maybe it shoulda killed him, and maybe it could never have been done… I must wonder about the mind that wants to know what dark and twisted things mine can think up…

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Mirai_Vega: *falls over laughing* you too! What is it with everyone loving the idea of Vegeta getting pregnant???? Is okay. As I said, I'm going with the pregnant Saiyan version. Goku kinda took care of some revenge, without even realizing it. You'll see.

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Raditz. It had been Raditz who'd introduced him to intimacy, Vegeta remembered suddenly. He'd been barely twelve, and they'd been alone on a mission when he went through the change. It happened later to royals, they'd known, so neither had been expecting it. Raditz had thought he'd taken ill, at first, until he recognized the signs. And he'd taken care to make it special. He'd known about what had been done to the boy.

Why didn't he have nightmares about that? That had lasted a lot longer, been more shameful. He'd survived those attacks without nightmares. And with his pride and honor mangled but intact. This had taken his pride, his honor. He'd been… what? Tortured, abused. He'd been through that before. Why was this time so different? Why the nightmares? Why the terror?

He noticed the desk. Paper, pens. No one else in this house knew Saiyan. No one anywhere knew Saiyan. Only he did, now. Slowly, he settled into the seat, pulling a sheet of paper over, selecting a pen. He started with the earliest memories he had, and wrote until the light faded.

It was dark, he should go to bed. Slowly, he shed the clothes Bulma had sent. She and Trunks rarely came to see him. He'd hidden behind Goku the first several times she had, without knowing why. The nightmare from the night before had answered that. His obedience to Chi-Chi had also been explained. For once, he had remembered what he'd dreamt.

Maybe he'd had nightmares about when he was young, that he didn't remember now? He remember waking to Raditz holding him, murmuring reassurances, promising revenge. He must have, and overcome them. Very well. He'd just have to overcome these. He crawled into bed, waiting.

Goten's muffled giggles woke him. The bed dipped as the teen sat to remove his boots, soft thuds announcing success. There was the sound of cloth, a soft thump as the weighted shirt the boy wore hit the floor. Goten was still giggling when he curled up against Vegeta.

Vegeta traced the smile. "Oh, I was such a stinker!," Goten said, understanding immediately. "You should've seen the look on Trunk's face! Priceless, really." More giggling, and Goten laced his fingers through Vegeta's. "He asked how you were doing, so I told him what Gohan said. And he wanted to know if someone still had to stay with you at night, and I told him I didn't mind, cause Mom wanted Dad back in bed… although I needed the mental image of Mom and Dad in bed about as much as he did," the teen added in disgust. "But he walked right into that, really! The funny thing was, he never said anything about me sleeping with you, so I asked him if the idea of us sleeping together didn't bother him. I thought he was gonna die of embarrassment or something, he got so red!" Another little trill of giggles. "I haven't gotten him that good for ages."

Vegeta smiled. His straight-laced son would have a problem with that, wouldn't he, considering the context of the conversation. A small chuckle escaped him.

"Vegeta? Did you just laugh?" Goten sat straight up, looking down at his bed-partner. "I made you laugh?"

"Apparently." The voice was just as raspy as the chuckle had been, and Vegeta looked surprised that he'd said anything. Goten was ecstatic.

"You can talk again! That's great! That's wonderful!" he crowed, then suddenly frowned. "Are you gonna start calling me the spawn of Kakarot again?"

Vegeta discovered laughing could be painful if you hadn't done it in awhile.

Goku looked down at the papers on the desk. Funny, that wasn't Goten's writing. Come to think of it, it wasn't even a language he knew. So that probably meant it was something Vegeta had written, in Saiyan. Make that a language he didn't remember. He stared at the unfamiliar letters. What would Vegeta be writing?

"It's his life," Goten said from behind him, picking up one of the sheets. "He thought that maybe by writing down everything he's been through, he might understand why he has such terrible nightmares, figure out why it's taking him so long to recover."

"How do you know?"

"He got his voice back last night. Not for long, though, he used it all up, after the nightmare."

"Another one?"

"He remembered it. He told me." Goten drew in a long breath. "It was… terrible."

He'd been strong, once. Confident, brave - to the point of stupidity, sometimes. Proud, defiant, arrogant. Killed more people, destroyed more planets than he wanted to remember, now, but he'd been proud of his skill. He'd defeated enemy after enemy, and grown stronger. He'd been a warrior prince.

He'd survived capture and abuse more than once. Recovered from more than one gang rape. He'd been demeaned, ridiculed, put down. He'd survived as a virtual slave for more years than he cared to remember. He had gone through so much, and come out of it.

He sagged against the shower wall, watching as the blood was rinsed off his body to run down the drain. Filthy, he was still filthy. He scrubbed harder, breaking more skin as he remembered what had happened, trying to scrub the memories from his body since he couldn't get them from his mind. Everything he'd been through, all the horrors he'd survived, even going to hell, and a woman had wounded, broken, degraded him so badly he didn't know how to recover.

But he would. Somehow. A faint trace of his old self reminded him it was possible, and that he'd made a start. A fainter trace of his younger self was telling him not to do it on his own. Could he force himself to recover? Maybe if he wrote. He turned off the shower, wincing at the abuse he'd done to himself. He contented himself with a towel, ignoring that it was soon red with his blood. He made his way to the desk, picked up the pen.

Vegeta looked down at the paper. His hand had begun shaking, writing about those early years with Frieza. The bold, neat lines of text had gotten wobbly, wobbly enough he'd had to stop, to take time to compose himself, before he'd been able to continue. That had been so many years ago, yet in his current state, he couldn't block the residual emotions. The fear that had developed of being summoned, of the agony of the beatings – terror that it would be more than a beating, the soul-searing horror when it was. How many times he'd had to use a regeneration tank when Frieza had finished with him!

Raditz and Nappa had known, they couldn't help knowing. They'd helped him through it then. Saiyans didn't do such things to children.

Pain! He clutched his head, crying out at the unexpectedness of it, before clamping his teeth together. He struggled to stand, succeeded, then knocked the chair over when he passed out.

Gohan arrived as soon as he could after his brother's frantic phone call. He'd had to stitch up several of the scars Vegeta had managed to scrub so hard they'd ripped open, besides the new cut on his head. He'd treated the abused flesh as best he could. After asking what could have set Vegeta off, he and his father had sat through Goten's shaky recital of the last two nightmares Vegeta had told him of. They'd both been graphic, full of things the innocent Goku hadn't dreamed existed or could happen. Gohan, however, had had to treat a patient or two for some of the things Goten told them of.

"So that's what happened." Gohan cast a look at the sleeping prince. Valium was working wonders for him at the moment, Gohan hadn't wanted him waking up in the middle of being stitched up. "Part of it, at least. I don't doubt there's more."

"More?" his father protested weakly, still with a green face. "How could there be more?"

"Trust me, Dad. More and worse is possible. And combine that with how proud he was…" Gohan shrugged. "He probably shouldn't be left alone. And Mom does not count as a watcher, not after hearing that." He frowned. "She might even be slowing his recovery without knowing it. She'll need to be told what Vegeta's remembered."

"But…" Goten and Goku protested together.

"Mother is a great deal like the woman who tortured Vegeta. She's very determined to have her own way, and will do what she has to to ensure she gets it. She needs to know, so that she'll leave him completely alone." Gohan stood. "Dad, you come with me. Goten, he's probably not going to be very amenable to drugs, considering what he went through, but try to talk him into using the Valium. It'll help him sleep without the dreams."

"Okay."

He woke slowly, feeling every tender, abused spot on his body. He opened his eyes, dark except for the faint starlight from the window. What had happened? He shifted carefully, reaching out, finding the edge of the bed. He was alone? No – voices in the hallway, talking quietly. Goku and Goten. He couldn't make out what they said.

The door opened, closed, and the nightlight was switched on. He nearly laughed at how much he relaxed as the tiny light pierced the darkness. "Goten?"

"You woke up?" Goten hurried to the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Not good," the prince admitted. "What happened?"

"You scrubbed too hard in the shower. Gohan had to stitch you back up. Why do you always pick times when we don't have senzu beans to get hurt?"

Shower? Oh, yes. He shuddered. "I remember." His face whitened as he recalled the other. "I remember," he whispered.

"Um, Gohan left some Valium. He said it would help you sleep without dreams." Goten showed him a small bottle.

"No."

"But…" Goten began, then paused. "You remembered something else. Without nightmares. That's what happened, isn't it?"

"Yes." He turned his head away, too ashamed to look at the boy.

"Vegeta." Soft, almost caressing. "Vegeta, what could be worse than what you already told me?"

Should he tell the boy? He moved carefully, sitting up, gasping as the damage he'd done to himself made itself known.

"Easy!" Goten moved, an arm around the prince to hold him steady. "There, better? Now. What did you remember?"

"The children." Vegeta sighed, then began brokenly telling the boy of what had happened to him as a child, of Saiyan ways, and of what he'd remembered. He held himself stiff as he talked, trying not to break down completely. And the teen surprised him yet again.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed of, Vegeta. Not as a child, and not drugged up like you were. None of what happened was your fault. Get that through that stubborn head of yours," Goten scolded. He paused, thinking. "And, I think I know where it happened. You've got no need to worry about that woman ever finding you. She's dead."

"What?"

"I've been putting the pieces together. That last bit, about the children… There was an orphanage in West City that was completely destroyed about the same time Dad said he found you. It was in the news. Woman who ran the place died in the explosion. There was a big stink about it. The firefighters and other rescue workers… they found some laboratories and filming rooms on a level under the rubble that wasn't in the blueprints. There were children in them, animals, fetish items... It fits."

"You're sure?"

Vegeta looked so like the children he'd seen on the news. Battered, bruised, the worst of their wounds hidden, and the longing for hope in their eyes, the hope that the nightmare they'd lived through was over. "I'm sure."

The tears came then, a release of the horror, a relief. Goten held Vegeta close, rocking gently, just letting him get it out of his system. After a bit, he began crooning the lullaby that worked so well on the prince, and both drifted into sleep.


	5. A lesson on Saiyans

Hey **Tatoosh**! Yeah, I like details in my torture about as well as I like it in my sex. I know there's a chapter coming up where the details are a bit more graphic, I'll warn ya at the top, so be sure to check the hi reviewer section. This one's a bit of fluff & nonsense. I thought you had voted, sorry.

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Mirai_Vega: So glad to have delighted you so thoroughly! Hey, can I borrow that plush… *runs* guess not.

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Nasiya: I don't mind if you repeat yourself. Just be sure to holler at me if I need it.

Okay, then. On to a little lesson on Saiyans for Goku

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Goku examined the scene before him carefully. Vegeta, his head pillowed on Goten's lap, was stretched out on the couch, sound asleep. As usual. Goten looked to be only half-awake, watching TV. But Goten was holding the hand Vegeta had on his lap, their fingers linked together, and was running the other hand idly through Vegeta's hair, or across his cheek. Was it possible that Chi-Chi had been right? But, what about Goten's girlfriend? His son yawned, looking down at the prince. Uh-oh.

"What'cha watching?"

"Hey, Dad." His son yawned hugely. "I'm not really sure. I fell asleep and just woke up, and there's still commercials on."

"How's sleeping beauty doing?"

Goten laughed. "Just fine. Still hurts him if he moves too quickly, but he's a lot better."

"That's good. Say… how's that girlfriend of yours doing?"

"Mother found out about her." Goten scowled. "She showed up at school, and now I can't get a date with anyone!" He looked straight at his father. "Remind me not to tell you not to tell Mom anything again."

Goku looked shame-faced. "It was an accident. She thought you were in love with Vegeta. And it kinda slipped out."

Goten stared at his father, blinked. Blinked again, and felt the tiny squeeze Vegeta gave him. "Run that by me again?"

"She thought you were in love with Vegeta," Goku repeated. "Cause you were on the couch with your arm around him while he was asleep on you," he added to clarify that assumption.

Goten looked down at the prince on his lap, their linked hands, and his own hand currently tangled in the prince's hair, "Oh." He looked back up at his dad. "She'd get a real charge out of this then, wouldn't she?"

"I don't think I'd ever hear the last of it," his father sighed.

"I wonder if she knows we both sleep nude?" Goten mused, eyes full of mirth.

"Wh-What?" Goku's chin made a valiant attempt to hit the floor.

"Or that Uncle Raditz was his first lover?" Goten continued, though he couldn't keep a tiny grin from appearing.

His father was gasping like a landed fish. "He… My… Really?"

"Yeah. You never told me Saiyans go through a… what'd he call it?... change."

"Change? What change?" Goku asked, flustered. "I don't have any memories of the Saiyans, Goten! They all got wiped out when I hit my head. What change?"

"The change any full-blooded Saiyan goes through when reaching sexual maturity, of course," Vegeta grumbled without opening his eyes. "It's very much like the rut animals on this planet go through. Lasts about a week."

"Ohhh…" Goku said, remembering an incident he was never, ever going to tell Chi-Chi about.

"So that's what happened!" Goten exclaimed, then clapped his hand over his mouth.

Vegeta and Goku both chorused, "What?" Vegeta opened his eyes and looked up at the boy. "What do you mean, 'so that's what happened'?"

"Errr… I don't think I want to talk about it. It's kinda personal."

"When?" asked Vegeta as Goku said, "What?"

He looked between the two. "It was two years ago. Just after my birthday."

Vegeta closed his eyes again, reaching his free hand up to capture the one Goten kept messing his hair up with. "Trunks."

"Yeah."

"I'm confused?"

"Stay that way, Kakarot. You'd be much better off."

"You certainly sound like you're getting better."

"Oh, shut-up, baka. I need my sleep."

"Hey, Trunks!"

"Oh, uh, hi Goten."

"What's wrong with you?" Goten displayed the new videogame he'd picked up. "You already have this one?"

Trunks eyed it a moment, then grinned. "Nope, not yet. I was gonna get it tomorrow."

"So, how about we just play mine now?"

"Sure, we can do that."

Several games later, as he was about to lose for the twelfth time, Goten said, "My mom thinks I'm in love with your dad."

Trunks ran his car into the wall, and Goten took the lead. "What?"

"Oh, cause he was using me for a pillow while we were watching TV."

"Huh?"

"So Dad told her about my girlfriend, and you know what happened after that."

Trunks groaned. "That happened awhile ago."

"Yeah, but then Dad asked."

"Asked what?"

"No, he didn't actually ask. He kinda did that oh, by the way, your mom was wondering if you love Vegeta thing."

"What for?"

"I gotta stop letting your dad fall asleep in front of the TV." The finish line, just ahead. "By the way, Vegeta knows about what happened two years ago. I told him."

"WHAT? You told my DAD?!!" Trunks dropped his controller.

"Well, yeah. My dad didn't understand why I was so upset he hadn't told me about the change."

"Change?"

"Wait, Vegeta didn't tell you?" Goten looked at the older boy in surprise.

"What are you talking about? What change?"

So Goten told him.

"That's what happened?"

"Yep. Although, it was kinda fun." Trunks looked like he could strangle on something. Goten grinned. "Aw, are you saying you didn't have fun?"

"I am not interested in repeating the experience."

"I wonder if I should be disappointed?" Goten looked off to one side as Trunks choked. "No, I really don't think I should be. I mean, it was kinda fun, but beating you at videogames is more fun. At least, for me." He hadn't been the instigator, after all.

"Why you!" Trunks pounced. "How dare you?"

Goten was laughing far too hard to defend himself, especially since Trunks had elected to use the tickle attack. "Hey! Ah! Help!"

"How was the brat?"

"Oh, he's fine."

"And Bulma?"

"She was in the lab. I didn't see her all day. I guess that means she's fine."

Vegeta snorted. "Probably."

"Dad's right, you know. You do sound a lot better. More like you used to."

Silence, for a time, except for the sound of pen on paper. Goten shed his clothes, draping a towel around his hips. "Shower time."

"You need one."

"Well, thanks! I didn't think I smelled that bad!" He was behind Vegeta now, looking down at the pages. "How old are you on that page?"

"I don't know. Chronologically, about thirty-five. Physically, about twenty. Suspended animation will do that to you."

"Really?" Goten ran a hand down Vegeta's back. The older man flinched. "Still hurting?"

"A little. I thought you were going to take a shower?"

"Oh, fine. Be that way."

Vegeta stared after the teen as he flounced off, then shrugged. He was left in peace, as he wrote of sending Raditz after Kakarot, and the resulting fight he'd wound up fleeing from, barely alive. The interruption came when Goku knocked, and came right on in.

"Hey, Vegeta?"

"What?" He laid the pen down, turning carefully to face the other.

"Um, it's about Goten."

Vegeta just stared at him.

"I think I finally figured out what he was saying about Trunks."

"And?"

"Well, um, he seems awfully fond of you."

He's going to insist Goten leave me, Vegeta thought, suddenly afraid. He's going to make me be alone! But his voice was steady when he answered, "So? What has that to do with what he and Trunks did?"

"I, um, well… it's just that Chi-Chi isn't, um, Kami!" Goku spluttered.

"I am well aware she isn't Kami. I assume what you are trying to say is that she hasn't learned what her baby boy did with my son, and would have one of her harpy fits if she found out?"

"No, not really." Goku settled onto the bed. "Look, Vegeta, she knew I was different. I had a tail. But, she didn't know I was an alien. A Saiyan. That… didn't go over very well. And since both her boys took after me, my line… being able to fly, and go super Saiyan… going off and getting into fights to save the world…" Goku shrugged. "She even called Goten a monster when she found out he could go super, forbid him to do it again. I don't want to think what will happen if she finds out about this change thing. Cause, well," Goku paused, staring up at the ceiling as if for inspiration, "um, I'm guessing Saiyans didn't care much if pairings were boy girl or not."

"They didn't."

"She does."

"Then it would probably be best if she never learns anything more about our race."

"You mean, there's more?"

"Of course, baka. You'd think that with all the blows you've taken to the head, you'd remember something," Vegeta complained. "You've never displayed any interest in what I tried to tell you about our people, because you've been an Earthling your whole life. Why now? Because that harpy may discover that our sons had sex? That your son could have had a child?"

Goku blinked. Okay. He hadn't expected Vegeta to say anything like that. "What?"

"Males and females are both capable of bearing children."

"But… but, how do you know? Raditz wasn't pregnant!"

"Of course not." More blinking. Vegeta rubbed his brow, his head was beginning to ache. Trust the baka to decide he wanted to know now! And he did not feel like explaining.

"Um, Vegeta?"

"What now, Kakarot?"

"Are you… going to… um, well," Goku bit his lip. And changed tactics. "Which boy went through the change?"

"I've no idea. They were what, fourteen and fifteen? It could have been either of them. It could have been both."

"I wonder when it happened to Gohan?"

Vegeta's headache intensified. "He was fourteen. And stuck out here by himself with just his mother and baby brother around."

"You mean… he… with…" Goku stammered in distress.

Vegeta let him stew for awhile. "Gohan had more control than that. He got extremely sick, so Chi-Chi took him to Bulma to see if she could figure out what was wrong. Bulma, being a sensible woman, asked me."

"You mean… you and Gohan?"

"Of course not! I wouldn't mate with your spawn," Vegeta growled, a vestige of his former antagonism for Goku showing. "I told Bulma to send Chi-Chi home, and then took the boy to a brothel."

"You took my son to a whorehouse!"

"Well, it was that or possibly have him die. Some do." Vegeta shrugged. "And I was not going to listen to the woman accusing me of letting that happen. She nags enough." His headache was bad enough now he looked for the pills Gohan had left for him. "Are we done?"

Goku, having been distracted from his original mission, left.


	6. Alone

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Tatoosh: This one is a bit more detailed on the torture. Right about the time Vegeta hits the floor, you might wanna skip a bit 'til he's out of the hospital and Gohan's done trying to fix him. This is also the chapter where the fact that I ain't a doctor or knowledgeable about Saiyan physiology really comes into play… hope it don't sound stupid.

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Goten slipped into his bedroom. He hadn't used this room except to change clothes since shortly after Vegeta had arrived. Now, he collapsed on the bed. Vegeta was well. He had to be, or he couldn't have said what he had. There was no reason to stay with him anymore. He could always go to Trunks, if he needed to. He'd managed to make the other boy admit he'd enjoyed their experience, and since neither of them knew which of them had been through the change, they'd agreed to help the other out if needed. After all, it had been kinda fun.

He grabbed his pillow, buried his face in it. He was not going to cry! Vegeta was well, that was what mattered. He'd be going home soon, anyway. His mother would make sure of that, if she caught them sleeping on the couch again. Not, he admitted hopelessly, that that was likely to happen again. Besides, Vegeta's attitude was back to normal, and she couldn't stand having him around.

How long was the boy going to be in the shower? Vegeta pressed a hand to his temple. The pills were working, but too slowly. He staggered as he walked to the bed, sitting on it carefully so that he didn't fall. The reoccurring headaches seemed to be the only sign he'd ever been injured, at least to his hosts. He'd been taking the Valium. He still dreamt, but no longer woke the house with his screams, being too drugged.

And he wasn't crying now, either. He was recovering, in the only way he knew how, as he'd discovered from his writing. He'd forced himself to be strong. A prince couldn't cry like a baby in front of his warriors, or scream like a terrified woman. A warrior had to be strong enough to overcome any obstacle, any defeat that didn't kill him. And a warrior prince couldn't show any sign, other than a physical scar, that anything terrible had happened. He'd forced himself to set aside the emotions that might give him away. He'd developed and perfected defiance and arrogance as his shields. To show no sign of affection. He'd grown weak here.

Where was the boy? He was trying so hard to get past the incident, but he was still terrified of being alone, though he refused to admit it. He refused to admit he was dependent on the drugs to sleep. He'd stopped telling Goten about the nightmares, since the Valium made them seem fuzzy and distant. But, his head hurt. And his back. If those pills didn't start working soon… Vegeta slumped, falling from the bed to the floor.

He'd just tell Vegeta that he was really wanting to sleep in his own bed again. He leaned his forehead against the door to the room they shared. Just go in, make sure the nightlight was on, see if he'd taken his pills. Then, tell him. Yeah, that would work. He opened the door.

"Vegeta?" Goten moved to the motionless figure, taking in the lines of pain on his face. "Vegeta?"

He could hear the boy, but he couldn't answer him. Why couldn't he talk? He tried opening his eyes, and couldn't do that, either.

"Vegeta?" The boy lifted him, pulling him off the floor to a sitting position. Vegeta's head lolled back, and no effort of his could hold it up. And the pain! The slightest of whimpers. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Gentle hands ran down his arms, across his chest and stomach, searching for new injuries. His head rested on Goten's shoulder now, as the teen checked his back.

Vegeta screamed, pain lancing through him in waves when Goten reached his lower back. He arched, his body going into convulsions he couldn't control any more than he could control the screaming. Goten scrambled away, then back, rolling the thrashing Saiyan to his stomach. "Oh, Kami! DAD! DAD!!" The back of Vegeta's shirt was red with blood.

Shards of glass. Scalpels. The acid tipped spikes. She'd used them all, smiling as he screamed, delighted that such a small thing could cause him so much pain. Slicing into the remnant of his tail over and over, then packing the cuts with salt, or pouring in vinegar or some other burning substance. Let the wounds begin to heal, and start all over. The last time, there had been some sort of thorns. She'd sliced deeply, planted the thorns, and told him he'd scream so beautifully for her when they finally made their way out of his body. Then she'd raped him with her favorite razor spiked strap-on, digging her nails into his tail's mangled remains when he didn't scream enough to please her. The agony that had roiled through his body hadn't been enough to put him out, and he'd screamed – screamed and screamed – for hours before she'd finished operating and playing. Even after she'd gone, he hadn't been able to stop screaming, and when his voice had gone, the screams became silent.

Vegeta whimpered, becoming aware of pain and his surroundings. Bright, white light. He was strapped down to a table, on his stomach, with a needle in his arm. He struggled, his panic increasing as he realized he couldn't get loose. A man with a scalpel, coming towards him. "Put him under." A mask, covering his mouth and nose… panicked breathing, then darkness.

More pain. His back… his tail. He was still on his stomach, but no longer strapped down. He kept his eyes tightly shut. Had all that time with Kakarot been nothing but a dream? Had he imagined it all to escape the horror, only to reawaken to it? He listened, slowly recognizing the sounds. He was in a hospital.

"Vegeta?" Kakarot's voice. "Hey. You awake?"

He kept quiet, not knowing what had happened. Why he was in a hospital, and in so much pain?

"Dad, he may sleep for awhile." Gohan. "I didn't think to check his tail very closely when I examined him, that first time. And to have that happen, well, it's just more trauma he'll have to get through."

"But what happened?" he heard Kakarot ask. "I never had anything like that happen when my tail grew back. Neither did you."

His tail was back? It didn't feel like it.

"We never had some twisted fiend slice us up and plant thorns and glass shards in our tails, either. It's no wonder he had so much psychological damage when you found him. And now this."

This? What this?

"Is he gonna be alright, Gohan?"

"I don't know. I really don't, kid."

"But what did happen?" Goten insisted. "You didn't say."

A heavy sigh. "I think his tail tried to grow back." Tried!? Vegeta thought. "But, the damage… was too much. First off, whoever did this to him had sliced him up pretty well. Then they put shards of glass and thorns inside him. The thorns are the kind that migrate through a body, so whoever it was had planned for him to be in a lot of pain for a long time. That's probably part of the reason he kept getting those headaches, one of the thorns was lodged in a very peculiar way in his spine. It migrated up, unlike the others.

"Tails regenerate, we know that. And they do it when they want to. From what I just operated on, I'd say that's what happened. His tail was trying to regenerate. But, because the remains of his tail were so badly damaged, not to mention full of sharp things, it wasn't able to do so."

His tail? His tail couldn't regenerate? Too much damage?

"You mean, he'll never have a tail again?" Kakarot, asking what Vegeta didn't want a positive answer to.

"I can't say for sure. I removed every last glass shard and thorn, and had to go very deep to do so. And I stitched him up very carefully, trying to leave the least amount of scar tissue possible."

"So his tail could grow back?"

"If it can, there's a better chance of success now. But there's still a lot of damage. I honestly don't know if he'd be able to regenerate his tail, or if this would happen again." Gohan didn't mention any of the other damage he'd seen and fixed. The senzu bean Vegeta had had after the explosion had come too late since much of the damage had healed. It was amazing the Saiyan was alive at all.

"How long before he can go home?"

"I'd prefer to have him out of here before he wakes up. Use Instant Transmission, and put him straight to bed. I wouldn't even tell him anything happened, other than you found him passed out. It's probably best that way."

It was done. Vegeta kept silent throughout the procedure, passing out again when Goku accidentally bumped his back against a door.

His tail. Vegeta kept his eyes closed, unwilling to face anyone. He'd waited so long for it to grow back, and now this. He'd heard what Gohan had said under his breath. Only a ten percent chance that his tail would regenerate properly, if it could regenerate. No guarantees.

The bed dipped, undoubtedly Goten. Yes, it was. He recognized the touch as the boy tended to the bandages on his back. "It looks better than it did when you first got here, you know. The wounds aren't anywhere as bad, and it's not nearly as puffy." A gentle touch, tracing across his shoulder. "I know you're awake. I've slept with you too often for you to fool me like you did Dad and Gohan. I know you know what happened." The fingers moved to trace his jaw. "And if you don't eat, Vegeta, you'll die of starvation before your tail makes up its mind whether or not to try again."

"Very funny." He opened his eyes, to be immediately presented with a plate of sandwiches. "Help me sit up? I can't eat that lying on my stomach."

It turned out not to be as difficult as he'd thought it would be to get up. "It doesn't hurt as much."

"No, it shouldn't. Between all the sharpies being gone, and the IV drip, you shouldn't feel much of anything."

IV drip? He'd missed that. The needle was still in his arm. He made a motion to remove it. "Oh, no you don't!" Goten caught his hand. "Not yet, you don't. Eat first, okay? Then I'll let you be in just as much pain as you want. Keep you from overdoing."

"As if a little pain could stop me!"

Goten considered the stories he'd grown up with about Vegeta's training. "Point taken. But I take out the needle."

Vegeta nodded, munching on the sandwiches. They didn't last long. "I ate."

"Okay, okay." Goten moved to the IV, turning a little switch and poking a couple buttons. Then he pulled the needle, and Vegeta had a horrid flashback at its length. "There. No more pain meds. Now, you get to hurt." He helped Vegeta lay back down, then headed for the door.

"You aren't staying?" Just the barest hint of fear.

"I thought I'd sleep in my own bed tonight."

"Oh." No! You can't! His mind was screaming, but he couldn't get the words out of his throat. "Pl…" he began, but too late. The door had shut. He was alone. "No, please. Not alone, please," he whispered. "I don't want to be alone." But the pride that had sustained him through Frieza, through the other horrors he lived through, was back in place. It had broken once before, when Frieza had killed him, and returned stronger. This time was no exception. He wouldn't call the boy back. He couldn't get his voice above the pleading whisper that only he could hear, the one that barely took any breath. A familiar whisper, one even Raditz hadn't heard when laying right beside him. The threatening tears held at bay by the will he'd barely recovered. "I don't want to be alone anymore. Please. Don't leave me."

He got himself under control, as he always had. But he couldn't sleep. He really didn't want to be alone. Finally, forcing himself to ignore the pain, he got to his feet and made his way to the chair. The desk lamp on, he put pen to paper. The regeneration tank, the search for the Namekian dragonballs. The fight against the Ginyu, Kakarot's appearance, the fateful nap that had led to him not getting his wishes. Fighting Frieza. He took a deep breath, steadied his hand, and wrote about his own death. His life flowed in the ink, page after page. Bulma, Trunks, becoming a super Saiyan for the first time. The androids, Cell. The sun came up, and still he wrote. Buu, dying again, the fusion. On and on, he wrote.

He ignored the call for breakfast, and the one for lunch. He forced the shooting pains from his back from his consciousness. The only thing that mattered was the paper before him, the flowing ink. One event after another, he wrote them all down. The pen slowed as the day lengthened, as he got closer to the day when he'd been captured, and grew tired.

The bed beckoned, the desk was closer. He set the pen down, and dropped his head to crossed arms. He had to have at least a little nap. He woke up in the bed, Goten sitting beside him.

"Hungry?"

"Yes." He ate the food the teen had brought him, drank the milk. Goten was uncharacteristically quiet. "Something wrong?"

"No." A bit more silence. "Done?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll go." Goten began gathering the plates.

"No." Just barely a whisper.

"What?"

"I…" Vegeta tried to force himself to say what he wanted. And failed. "N…nothing." I don't want to be alone. Why can't I tell him? "The Valium. I should take it."

"Okay." Goten got him the pill, and he dry swallowed it.

"Thank you."

"Sure." He left, shutting off the light as he went.

"I will not cry. It is unbefitting of the Saiyan prince." The pillow he had his face buried in muffled his voice, and absorbed the tears he pretended he didn't shed.

His back healed. The three months of captivity had been meticulously detailed where he knew what had happened. Every torture, every nightmare was described in explicit detail. The slow healing of his body, the slower healing of his mind. The failed regeneration. Vegeta sat back, looked at the last sentence he'd written: _At every turn, I was taught to not feel, not to show any emotion other than anger or pride, succeeding so well I am miserable – I do not want to be alone, yet I cannot let go of my pride long enough to say so._

He put the pen down, gathered the pages. A golden glow appeared in his hand as he regarded the pages that contained his life. No one else would ever read them, no one else could. He had never taught his children his native language, and Kakarot didn't remember it. He let it fade.

No one would ever know. He'd written it all in Saiyan. His restored pride, though damaged, had demanded it.


	7. The Change

Glory, you all like this'n, don't'cha? Well. Let's see here… oh, I nearly forgot. Lemon warnings, written in my gloss the detail style.

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Lady Sakura-chan: Which part weren't you expecting? Goten & Trunks? I'm going to be disappointed if so - those two always wind up together. Now, if it was Gohan, I understand. I had a ball writing that part.

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Ice Maiden: The last straw? Yep, indeedy. Wait until you find out why. He sounds sane? Bother. He's supposed to be horridly unstable.

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RedHairedSaiyanGirl: You are hereby to be further addressed by your initials. Even angst has to have a bout of laughter, don't you think? Besides, I couldn't resist.

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Tatoosh: See? I told you you voted for the pregnancy fic. That was the weirdness. As you saw, the headaches were very bad things. Don't worry, Goten stays affectionate. He has to, he's the sweetie in the story! Why do I get the feeling if I were to write a story entitled "Chi-Chi Gets What She Deserves," you'd be first in line to review? J 

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He moved back to Capsule Corp. a week later. He couldn't stand sleeping alone anymore. At least at Capsule Corp., he'd thought to have Bulma sleeping with him occasionally. He'd been wrong. She spent the nights in her lab. He'd wait until he was sure she wasn't coming, then go to the GR. Going to the lab had only gotten her angry. He stopped sleeping, except when he passed out from sheer exhaustion, and often forgot to eat. He did not stop training.

"So, how's your dad?"

"Training."

"Normal, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I don't see him much. Spends most of his time in the GR, only comes out for food."

"Figures." Goten laughed. "Hey, there anything to eat?"

"Of course!" The boys raced each other from the pool to the kitchen, and gobbled down most of what they found. "You sleeping over?"

"If you'll let me."

"Why wouldn't I?"

Goten shrugged. "No reason."

Trunks shoved plates in the dishwasher, then noticed the note on top. "Ah, crap. Mom needs me to run some errands for her. Wanna come?"

"Not really. Your pool's calling."

"Have it your way." Trunks looked over the note. "This'll probably take a couple hours."

"Hey, it's okay. I'll swim, sunbathe." Goten stretched. "On the other hand, I may take a nap."

"Alright then. I'll be back later." Trunks dashed upstairs to change, then was out the door.

Goten went back outside, staring at the GR. "There's nothing like making sure something still hurts," he murmured, then headed for the pool.

The pool. Time for some laps. Vegeta shed his shirt, got his shoes and socks off. He swayed a little as he straightened, preparing to dive.

"Don't you dare."

"What?" He spun around, nearly crashing into Goten before he got his balance back. The boy reached out, steadied him.

"When was the last time you had something to eat?"

Vegeta blinked. Eat?

"How about sleeping? When did you sleep last?"

Sleep? He'd passed out yesterday… or was it the day before? "Yesterday?"

"Come with me." Goten grabbed his hand, pulled him toward the house. Vegeta would have protested, but he was having too much trouble keeping his balance. They went straight to the kitchen. Goten raided the refrigerator, pulling out what he and Trunks hadn't eaten. He piled it in front of Vegeta, who stared at it. "Eat, Vegeta."

He managed four bites. "I need to train."

"Oh, that's it!" Goten sat on his lap. "You aren't going anywhere until you eat all this, and then you're going to bed! Understand?"

"Okay." He ate what Goten told him, until he was sure he would be sick. "No more. Please."

Just like when he'd had to feed Vegeta at home, Goten thought. Before he'd gotten better, he'd sounded like that when he wasn't feeling well. When he'd gotten better, he'd just refused to touch anything he didn't want. "You didn't eat much."

Vegeta rubbed his forehead. "I don't want any more."

"Headache?"

"Yes."

"Come on." He wasn't going to go all the way up to the master bedroom. There should be a guest bedroom… there! "In here. Go lay down."

"Alone?" Vegeta said, so softly Goten almost didn't hear him. And louder, "I'm not tired."

"Come on, Vegeta. I know better." He remembered how Vegeta had been, until he'd stopped sleeping with him. Tense, until Goten would curl up with him, then relaxing almost immediately. He changed tactics. "You always went to bed before me."

"You'll stay?" Surprise, and was that hope?

Goten stretched, popping his neck. "I could use a nap."

"I won't be alone?" Vegeta didn't realize what he'd said. Or how hopeful he sounded.

"Come on, Vegeta. We'll lay down for awhile." Goten led the prince to the bed. "You always got in first."

"I know." Vegeta swayed, Goten knocked him onto the bed.

"Can't lay down until you do!" He arranged the blankets over the prince, then crawled in himself. "There we go."

Vegeta shifted, one hand reaching out to Goten.

The boy caught the movement. He moved closer, curling against the prince as he had over two months before. He was rewarded with a quiet sigh, and Vegeta relaxing. The prince was asleep within moments.

Vegeta _was_ still afraid to sleep alone. Goten settled himself more comfortably, running his hand across Vegeta's stomach. He'd gotten accustomed to sleeping with the man, and had had a few not so restful nights until he'd gotten used to being by himself again. He liked this much better. He nuzzled against Vegeta, eyes closing.

Vegeta woke suddenly, whimpering, shivering with reaction to the dream. Goten, still attuned to the prince in spite of the time that had passed, immediately woke. "Vegeta?" he asked softly, running his hand lightly across the other's chest. "Dreams, again?"

"Yes." Vegeta reached for and captured Goten's hand, linking his fingers through the teen's. He didn't remember going to bed. "Where are we?"

A little giggle. Goten squirmed, nuzzling against Vegeta until he was more comfortable. "Capsule Corp., in one of the umpity million guest rooms. I wasn't about to try to get you up the stairs."

His head felt muzzy. "I… don't understand."

"You tried to go swimming when you couldn't even stand up without nearly falling over," Goten explained. "What happened, Vegeta? You look like Bulma's warmed over meatloaf. Only worse."

Hell of a comparison, Vegeta thought. "Happened?" 

"To make you look like death warmed over?" Goten propped himself up on an elbow so he could look down at Vegeta. "Although you do look a little better since you slept. Haven't you been?"

Vegeta looked away. "I've been training."

"How about sleeping and eating?" Goten persisted. "Tell me, Vegeta. I know how much you ate before we came to bed. Not even half of what would be a snack. And you fell asleep so quickly. What's wrong?"

"I just haven't been sleeping well."

"No? Doesn't the Valium help you get to sleep anymore?"

Valium? Oh, the dream fogging pills. "I ran out. Besides, I got tired of being drugged all the time."

Just the barest brush of lips against his jaw. "You don't like sleeping alone. Trunks said Bulma's been working day and night on a big project. You haven't slept because you can't. True?"

Vegeta closed his eyes. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" A feather kiss, deliberately applied. "You didn't want to sleep alone. You wouldn't even get near the bed until I said I needed a nap," Goten whispered in his ear. "So don't tell me perhaps." Another small kiss, just below his ear.

Vegeta turned his head, capturing Goten's mouth with his own. A brief, sweet kiss.

"Mmm. Kiss me again." Vegeta complied, pulling Goten's mouth down to meet his. This kiss was deeper, more sensuous.

"You like that?"

"Yes." Goten relaxed suddenly, sinking down to curl against Vegeta's side. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

"I shouldn't've done that. This. I ought to go." Goten pulled away, got up. "I'm sorry, Vegeta, I…" He shook his head, ran out the door. It slammed shut behind him.

"Goten! Please!" Vegeta found himself reaching a beseeching hand toward the door, too late. "Please don't go. Don't leave me… not again." His hand dropped, and the Saiyan prince found himself weeping.

What was wrong with him? Goten curled himself tighter under his blankets. He was so cold! That, in spite of the summer sun trying to bake the world, and the high fever he was running. His brother would be there soon, Mother had called him. Good thing he hadn't stayed at Trunks' the other day. He was probably horribly contagious.

Gohan arrived and examined him. It was almost torture for Goten. Gohan told him, "You'll be fine, little brother." But he had a funny expression on his face when he went out the door, and called for their father as soon as it shut behind him.

"What!" Goku's startled shout made Goten jump. "But I don't want to do that!"

A murmur from his brother. Goten wished he could hear what was being said.

"I know what it is! Vegeta told me!" More murmurs. "Why do I have to tell him?" A few more things he couldn't make out, and his father entered the room. "Ah, hi, Goten. Um, we, ah, know what's wrong."

"What?"

"Ah, do you remember what you said happened two years ago, with Trunks?" His father stuck his hand behind his head, shifted his feet. "That. So, um, we have to… to make some… arrangements."

"Made." Goten climbed unsteadily out of his bed. "Trunks agreed."

"No way! Vegeta said… ah, well, um, um…" Not unsurprisingly, Goku floundered.

"I heard what he said. Trunks agreed."

So, Goku took him to Capsule Corp. Vegeta, in the GR, felt him arrive. "What would Kakarot be doing here? He hasn't been by since I came back." He went to investigate. Besides, the woman and his son weren't home.

One look was all he needed. "The change."

"Yes."

"And you brought him here?"

"He insisted."

"Give him here. And go home." Vegeta, scowling, gathered Goten's shivering form from Goku. "Go home. He'll be fine." He spun on his heel, kicked the door closed, and took the boy to one of the guest rooms.

"Vegeta?"

"Of course."

"Trunks… he agreed… to help."

"He isn't here." Vegeta said quietly. "He and his mother left yesterday."

"No. Oh, it hurts!" Goten twisted, trying to escape himself. "It hurts!"

"Yes, it hurts." Vegeta removed the sweat soaked shirt from the shivering boy. "Cold and hot all at once, burning with fever, and so, so cold, like you'll never be warm again." He wiped the sweat from Goten's body, then pulled the teen close. "It gets better."

Goten shivered convulsively, leaning desperately into Vegeta's warmth. "It wasn't like this… with Trunks. He wasn't sick."

His son hadn't been sick? At all?

"I'm so cold."

Flashback. Saying that to Raditz, being cocooned in the older Saiyan's arms. The shocked denial as Raditz told him what was happening, far too soon. He shook off the memory, running warm hands along the boy's back. "I'll keep you warm."

Goten whimpered, his hands clutching Vegeta's shoulders, trembling. He cried out sharply as Vegeta grazed the scar where his tail had been removed at his birth. Vegeta drew back, puzzled. He had never seen Goten with a tail, his own son had been born without one. He turned the boy gently, and looked down, realizing what the scar was for the first time. "That makes things much easier," he murmured, pulling Goten back against his chest. He stroked gently, until Goten moaned in pleasure instead of pain.

"Good, feels good," brushing kisses along Vegeta's chest. "Don't stop."

"It's just the beginning, little one." He scooped Goten up, entered the connecting bathroom. Two sharp tugs removed the remaining clothes, a moment later, he held the boy under a spray of warm water. "Warmer, now?"

"Mmm," Goten responded, rubbing his cheek against Vegeta. "Yes."

Vegeta poured liquid soap into his hand, then began massaging Goten's back. The teen moaned, his hips arcing against Vegeta when he reached the scar. Vegeta shuddered, pulling the boy closer, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. Goten was exploring Vegeta's body now, and ran his hand over Vegeta's recently healed back.

"Ahh!" Vegeta dropped to his knees, agony blazing from his back. He forced the pain away; Goten was the one who mattered now. His hands clutched Goten's hips, pulling the boy to his mouth. Goten threw his head back, his fingers laced in Vegeta's hair, his breathing ragged. Vegeta put his experience to good use, and the teen screamed as he released. Goten shuddered, then dropped in front of Vegeta, burying his face against his neck, arms wrapped tightly around the prince's shoulders. Vegeta held him gently, running his fingers through the water soaked hair hanging down Goten's back.

It wasn't until he'd raised them both up and turned the water off that he realized there was something wrong. "Goten?"

"I didn't mean to," he said, though he didn't pull away. And just kept repeating that, as Vegeta carried him back to the bed and toweled him off.

Vegeta couldn't understand what he meant. Unless it had to do with his injury. "It's alright, Goten. Shh." He kissed him silent, ran a trailing stream of kisses along his neck. He laid down, pulling Goten against him for another kiss. The boy returned it eagerly before running his hands over Vegeta's body, then following the path his hands took with his mouth.

Goten woke slowly, stretching sinuously. His fever had broken, and he no longer shook with the chills that had plagued him for the last three or four days. Except for being a little sore, he felt fine. He rolled, putting his arm around Vegeta's waist, and spooned tightly against the man.

"Woke up, did you?"

"Mmm-hmm." Goten nipped the back of Vegeta's neck lightly. "I feel better."

"So I… can tell."

"You like that, do you?"

"Yes."

Goten paused what he was doing. "Want more?"

"You know I do," Vegeta answered hoarsely.

"I do." He continued him ministration, then began moving his hips. "How about that?"

"Mmm, yes." Vegeta shifted slightly, allowing Goten to thrust into him. "Ohhh…"

A leisurely, slow process as Goten experimented with ways to make the other cry out in pleasure, alternately nipping and kissing Vegeta. The prince let him do as he willed, having already been caught by the boy's gentle seduction. Yet behind the soft cries of pleasure, Goten could hear a desperation he didn't understand, and it led him to try to please his prince all the more. Pace and intensity quickened, positions changed. Vegeta, calling Goten's name; Goten finishing with an inarticulate cry, collapsing on the prince beneath him.

They lay that way for some time, before Goten moved off the prince to lay on his back. A mischievous grin on his face, he asked, "Did you enjoy that?"

Vegeta rolled his head to find Goten staring up at the ceiling. But he could see the curve of the boy's lips. Growling softly, he slid his body over Goten's, and kissed him with passion he normally hid. "I did." 

Goten pulled him back down, demanding and receiving more kisses. His hands trailed over the prince, though he was careful, now, to avoid Vegeta's tail. Vegeta responded with raw passion, Goten urging him on with hands and mouth and some very sensuous movement. He didn't let the prince pull away as he had before, so he could take his pleasure, but demanded the prince take his own, arcing himself in an invitation Vegeta didn't, couldn't, refuse.

He sat, rocking himself, arms wrapped around knees and head down. His tail limp on the floor behind him, enunciating his misery. He'd hidden his emotions well enough, but could no longer hide the physical changes. Gaunt and thin, because he didn't eat, with dark, bruised eyes because he couldn't sleep. He'd trained, of course, day after day, collapsing from exhaustion, or hunger, always fighting against himself. Now, though, when the training drones fired at him, he didn't even bother to try and dodge. The pain from the blasts was so much less than the pain in his heart, but it was distractive.

How had it happened? How could he have let it happen? Hadn't he been able to show what he couldn't say? He'd tried. Tried so hard, but the words wouldn't come. So he'd…

Failed. Again, only this failure _hurt_ so much. It hadn't been this painful when Frieza had destroyed him on Namek, when Cell had killed his future son, when he had finally learned what it meant to love – and sacrificed himself to no avail. This failure pressed in on him, flattened him. It had killed him, but he still went through the motions of living. Some of them. Sometimes. And it was time to do so again.

He rose unsteadily to his feet, issuing the command that shut the GR down and opened the door. Dinnertime. He took his seat at the table, listening to Bulma babble excitedly about her latest invention, Trunks about events at school. Neither noticed his characteristic silence, or the uncharacteristic rearrangement of the food he wasn't eating. He went to bed, counted the dots in the ceiling tiles. At 3am, he decided Bulma wasn't coming to bed, again, and went back to the GR. When Bulma finally went to tell him breakfast was ready, he was unconscious.


	8. Evil cliffy

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Lady Sakura-chan: Hi there. I'm here to reveal… erm… nevermind! Read it and find out!

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Otaku: just when you think things are starting to look up…

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Tatoosh: That's the reason I put a "Tatoosh" warning in the summary. I don't think it gets anywhere so grizzly again. *pauses to think* Hn, no, not that bad. I'll warn you about the dream sequence. Oh, and thank you so much for jogging my memory on that detail! I'd completely forgotten! Now I might be able to get past that horrid writer's block that I have going on this story. (Everything posted so far has been prewritten).

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Nasiya: The ideas for the torture? They just came. I don't really know where from, and don't want to find out. I would learn more about myself than I need to know. No, it didn't sound twisted, it's perfectly logical. You want to comfort and cuddle him and make it all better, because everything that happened was just so horribly awful. Hey, go ahead and praise. You're bound to find something that I royally screw up (or that you just plain hate) later to complain about. (Aren't you?) 'sides, I like the encouragement. It makes a nice change from the rest of my day.

To everyone: Some of you are about to be very disappointed, and the rest of you will laugh your asses off. And there is a truly evil cliffy. Hmm… maybe that's why everyone keeps telling me I'm evil? Is it the cliffhangers?

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"It just never occurred to me that something was wrong. I mean, he's always trained for long hours!" Bulma cried. "He eats with us, how can he be malnourished? Or dehydrated?"

"Easy, Bulma," Goku said. "You know now. You'll fix him."

"And his tail's grown back, too!"

"His tail?" Goku said, startled. "Great! That ought to make a huge difference. You know how long he's been waiting!"

"He stopped waiting three months ago." Goku and Bulma turned to Goten.

"What?"

"His tail grew back three months ago," Goten repeated in a voice used for inattentive kindergartners. "And he was sick then."

"It did not! He was not." Bulma protested. "I would have known!"

"I was there when it happened, three months ago. And he was sick then. You were on a business trip, had taken Trunks with you."

Goku stared at his son. Three months ago… and Trunks hadn't been here? "You mean, that week?"

"That week."

"What week?"

"It's a… a Saiyan thing," Goku temporized hastily. "Coming of age and all that. Vegeta helped Gohan out with it too, remember?"

Goten left his father stumbling over an attempt to explain why Vegeta had had to handle it this time since he was back from the dead, and walked to the room where Vegeta lay. The Saiyan looked like hell, Goten thought reflexively, approaching the bed. He took it all in. Small white room, Vegeta on the bed with an IV hooked up, a small table next to the bed. "Dammit, doesn't that woman think? He'll have a fit if he wakes up in here!" he snarled.

Vegeta stirred, and Goten sat on the bed. "Hey, Vegeta. Keep your eyes closed for me."

"Goten?" His voice, soft and weak.

"Yeah. What're you doing to yourself?" He reached out, touched the prince carefully. "You look like you might blow away in a weak breeze."

"You're really here?" Vegeta struggled to open his eyes.

"I'm really here. No, don't open your eyes. You're in the med bay, and you know what those rooms are like."

"Need to… see you." Heavy lids opened, blinking slowly as his vision cleared. He focused, finally. "Goten."

"Yeah, it's me, see?" He cupped Vegeta's face, thumb tracing across trembling lips. "I'm here."

Vegeta closed his eyes, turning to nuzzle against Goten's hand, a single tear escaping. "Don't leave me."

"I won't." Goten smiled shakily as the prince wrapped his tail around him. "I'll stay with you."

Vegeta smiled, and fell asleep.

An hour later, his father came. "Goten? Time to go."

"No."

"Your mother is ready to go."

"So take her. I'm staying. I promised."

"Promised?"

"I promised him I wouldn't leave. Look around, Dad."

Goku did, and blanched. "Oh, I see. Yeah. Um… okay, then. Until he wakes up."

"No. I'll stay until he's better. He wasn't in this bad of shape three months ago, and he wasn't sleeping or eating much then."

Goku approached the bed, looking down at Vegeta. "He looks like he did after he first healed. All… half-gone." He noticed the tail around Goten's waist. "His tail…"

"It grew back, yeah. Three months ago. I told you that."

"No, that's not what I meant." Goku frowned. "Actually, I'm not sure what I meant." He rubbed the back of his head, where the scar from his fall was, a look of faint annoyance on his face. "I really hate it when that happens."

"So do the rest of us, Dad. I'll be fine." He stroked the tail around his waist absently. "Dad?"

"What?"

"How come you cut off my tail?"

"Me?!" Goku exclaimed. "Whaddya mean, me! I was dead!"

"Why did Mother, then?"

Goku sighed. "Probably because the moon has a habit of reappearing after being blown up. It's a lot easier to remove a tail than replace a moon."

"What does the moon have to do with anything?"

"Saiyans, the ones with tails, transform when the moon is full," Goku explained. "We turn into giant monkeys, with really big teeth and worse tempers. Destroy everything. It was a long time before I knew that." He sounded sad. "The first time it happened to me, I killed my Grandpa. But, I didn't know I'd done it, I thought a monster had come, and I'd slept through it. It wasn't until after Vegeta came that I realized I was the one who had killed him."

"Oh." There wasn't much Goten could say to that. "Does… does that mean Vegeta will lose his tail again?"

"No. He was trained to control that form."

"That's good."

"Well, I guess I better take your mother home. I'll… bring you some clothes."

"Okay."

Goten found it hard to believe how rarely Bulma or Trunks came to see Vegeta. The nurse Bulma hired brought in their meals, and did all the routine things nurses did, and would leave again. She showed up every three hours or so, and would sit with Vegeta while Goten got some time outside. Trunks, Goten figured, came by about twice a week, and he only saw Bulma once the first month he was there.

"Why does it bother you?"

"What?"

"That they don't come. Why does it bother you?" Vegeta repeated.

"It seems… wrong. If it were my father, Mother would be with him all the time. Gohan and I would be in and out."

Vegeta laughed weakly, but his laughter was harsh. "I don't doubt Bulma and Trunks would be in and out as well." He sighed. "I was never like your father. Never one to show emotion, or be demonstrative. Remember Buu? That was the first time I had held Trunks since he was an infant. It was also the last time, and the only time I ever told him I was proud of him."

"But why?" Goten asked.

Vegeta looked up at the boy. "Why? I didn't know any other way. My father took me on outings to destroy worlds, and occasionally, would tell me I'd done a good job. But he never once told me he was proud of me. Of my strength, but not of me. And with Frieza…" Vegeta shuddered. "With Frieza, from the time I was a little boy… there was no… no…" Vegeta sank his head against Goten's shoulder. "Being held was not pleasant. If he did say he was proud of me, it was always said with derision.

"Why would Trunks want to visit me? I have never been a good father to him. As for Bulma, I've known for years she loves her work far more than she ever loved me. Even if I hadn't remembered, she made it painfully obvious when I returned here." Vegeta closed his eyes, the vivid realization of her rejection piercing him again. "It is no surprise to me that she doesn't come."

Goten cradled the prince, stroking his back. The two often sat that way for hours at a time. So, when Goku used his Instant Transmission to go visit his son, that's what he saw.

"Hi, guys," he said cheerily.

"Hi, Dad." "Kakarot."

"Um, oh! That's right. Goten, your mother sent you this." He held out the picnic basket he held. Goten promptly took it away, setting it on the side of the bed opposite his father. Vegeta sniffed appreciatively, some of the smells emanating from it were delicious. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty okay. Vegeta!" Goten moved the picnic basket out of Vegeta's reach. "Do you really want to display food with my dad around?"

"Hey!" 

Vegeta snorted at Goku's indignant squawk. "No. I wouldn't get any."

"That's not very nice!"

"I never claimed to be nice, Kakarot. Besides, it's true. You'd eat it all and even Goten wouldn't get any."

"I guess that means you're better!"

"No, he's just trying to act like it. He wouldn't still be in bed if he were better," Goten pointed out.

"I just can't put anything past you, can I?"

"Past me?" Goten contrived to look innocent, which, being a miniature of his father, he couldn't help doing admirably. "I don't know what you mean."

Goku was busy rubbing the back of his head, an irritated expression on his face. "Now, why…" He eyed Vegeta's tail, wrapped around Goten's waist as it usually was when he arrived. "Vegeta?"

"What do you want, Kakarot?"

"Every time I see your tail, I get a headache."

Vegeta looked at his tail, then Goku, his expression a cross between amusement and confusion (amusion?) "And how is that my fault?"

"Why would I get a headache because your tail is around my son?" His attention turned to his son. "And why is your energy so weird?"

"It's just your Saiyan memories trying to surface," Vegeta said coldly. "And there is nothing wrong with…" He stared at Goten.

"What?" The boy looked from one to the other. Vegeta's look was one of unholy glee, his father's a confused worry. "Okay, what's going on?"

"There is nothing wrong with the boy's energy," Vegeta finished, sounding smug. "Not one little thing." His tail loosened from Goten's waist, snaking under the teen's shirt to stroke his belly.

"Oh!" Goten understood immediately. Vegeta had told him of the possibility of pregnancy during their week together, not knowing Goten already knew. "I'm fine, Dad."

"Are you sure? Your energy signal really is different."

"I'm sure." He looked at Vegeta. "Quite sure," he added softly, as the prince's lips met his own.

Goku watched in bemused fascination as their kiss deepened, becoming, in his opinion, distressingly intimate. As was the embrace. "Um, guys?"

"Go away," Vegeta advised, then returned his full attention to Goten.

"But…" Goku's eyes widened. "But he's my son!" he protested.

"Go away, Dad," Goten said, his voice already heavy with passion. He took advantage of Vegeta's weakness to push the Saiyan against the pillows, kissing a trail down the prince's chest toward the edge of the blankets.

Goku stood, unable to believe what he saw, as his Saiyan knowledge finally surfaced in the face of the others' passion. Kakarot closed the door behind him, standing guard before it. He had only one problem now – he still had to tell his wife. The Saiyan buried his face in his hands for a moment. That would not be fun. His tail lashed through the air before he curled it tightly around his waist.

It was so strange, having what amounted to two separate memories. He remembered being sent, now, and all of the instruction he'd received on his way to Earth. He remembered being Kakarot, for the short amount of time before he'd fallen and hit his head. No wonder Vegeta had mocked him so much! The prince would have killed him if it wasn't for the fact he was the weaker of the two. He'd tried more than once, even so.

Rival to the prince, but considering him a friend for all this time. Feeling betrayed whenever Vegeta had tried to kill him, hurt when he was mocked. Even though Vegeta never, ever acknowledged his wish to ignore his Saiyan heritage, always calling him by his Saiyan name if he wasn't being insulting about his low level. Always pushing the fact that he was a full-blooded Saiyan, always looking down on him for choosing human ways over Saiyan ones, telling him of Saiyan customs Goku never practiced.

It had taken the Prince choosing his son, his half-breed son, for his memories to surface. The headaches he'd been having… he'd thought they were from sleep deprivation at first, until Vegeta had stopped screaming them all awake at night. He'd been so wrong.

He dove into the stream, the icy water shaking him from his reflections for a moment. Breaking the surface, he took a deep breath before diving again. Vegeta. How hard the Prince had pushed his heritage! How proud he was of it, of being pure-bred, and how he had ridiculed even his own son for being a half-breed with weak human emotions.

What had it taken? He broke the surface again, treading water. How had Bulma gotten that proud, arrogant man to love her? Because he knew Vegeta loved Bulma, for all he so rarely showed it. How had she won him over? Gotten him to give her the children he rarely acknowledged the existence of, except for training?

Why would he have let her, come to think of it? Then again… a moment of weakness? Maybe she had said that… Ugh! Goku shook his head. It was best not to remember that particular incident. Bulma wouldn't have used that, would she have? He considered the way Vegeta acted when he was near Bulma at the same time as the Prince, groaned. She had. So that explained Trunks' existence. But the love? That had probably just taken time. It seems everyone falls in love with Bulma.

He left the water, found a patch of sun. Those three years, when they'd been waiting for the androids to arrive…. So long ago, that strange sparring session with Vegeta. And another one, after Majin Buu. He recognized them now for what they were. Vegeta had known, after all, that he was capable of bearing a child. And he was the only other full-blooded Saiyan left. Trunks had been born shortly after the first match, Bra after the second. Vegeta was the Prince of the Saiyans, and he had wanted two things: to continue his line, and repopulate his people. He'd settled for half-breeds, because he wasn't strong enough to take… "Me," the Saiyan warrior breathed. "I was too strong, and I didn't understand what you were asking. And you asked again, my Prince, while you were so wounded, and I was too much a fool to realize it! So, you took my son instead."

Kakarot shook his head. "I have been such a fool."

"I wouldn't mate with your spawn!" Goten sighed unhappily. How many times would he remember hearing that? The sneering tone, seeing the disgusted look on Vegeta's face. He stroked a hand protectively over the barely visible bulge at his waist. Their child, his and Vegeta's. Vegeta had done what he said he wouldn't, but was so delighted by and proud of the child to come.

He stared blindly out the window. The Prince needed him now. He still had nightmares, still couldn't tolerate sleeping alone. In all other respects, Vegeta seemed completely healed. His fingers pressed into the window ledge, spiky hair touching the pane as his head drooped. When would Vegeta begin to regret what he'd done? And what would he do? Would he despise their child then? Would he… Goten choked back a sob.

Strong arms encircled him, turning him, pulling him against the muscular chest. He dropped his head against his lover's shoulder, trembling with the force of his emotions, tears leaking from tightly clenched eyes. "What is wrong?"

"Everything." He stroked Vegeta's tail, nuzzling hungrily against his neck. An effective distraction.

For awhile.

Everything? Vegeta watched as another tear slid down Goten's face. Everything was so wrong that the boy would cry in his sleep? True enough. Things _were_ wrong. Kakarot had told the boy's mother. She had disowned him, then told his brother. Gohan hadn't been by since, nor Videl or young Pan, though all three had visited often enough before. Trunks hadn't been seen by either of them since he'd walked in for one of his rare visits, with a friend, to find them being intimate. So the boy had lost his best friend, as well as most of his family. And since his father's memories had returned, even Kakarot treated him differently – as the consort of his Prince, and not as his son. As if that wasn't enough, he had a Saiyan pregnancy to deal with, and all the hormonal changes that went with that.

He wasn't even leaving Capsule Corp. anymore either, Vegeta realized. Not to go to the arcade, or see a game, or for the training he could still do. He didn't visit any of his friends, and the happy-go-lucky boy had many of them. Had had, Vegeta amended. They'd come to Capsule Corp. at the beginning to see him, or Trunks. He knew some of them still came to see Trunks, but none had visited Goten in the last few months.

Not since the day his son and the other boy had walked in on them, actually.

Vegeta ran his palm over the slight bulge, let his hand hover. The child… their child… was the cause of so much of the boy's pain. He was the rest of the cause. He could… end it. End it all. Send the boy with his father, tell the other Saiyan to apologize for the horrible prank he'd pulled on his wife. Kakarot would do it, for his son's sake, if nothing else. But… Goten… his child… could he… should he? His hand trembled, lowered, a small ball of energy forming. He felt for the child's energy, found it easily, just as he felt his son move for the first time. "I'm sorry."

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I told you it was evil.


	9. 30 minutes of oblivion

Oh, I bet everyone was just royally peeved when they read that last chapter. I asked whether you all wanted the pg Saiyan version or not… I didn't ever ask which one you wanted pregnant! I'll find out Wednesday… remind me to count how many times I get called evil, too. I'm going to start keeping a record.

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Tatoosh: Almost any? *blinks* Hmmm… I've ghosted Goku? *thinks about that* You mean because he was so caring at first and now he's kind of a side character instead of a main one?

****

Lady Sakura-chan: No, there is no waiting with that. Is Gohan really skipped? *makes note to think about a Gohan fic…* I can think of one where he definitely wasn't, but it's been on hold entirely too long. I still haven't gotten to find out if he gets who he went after or not. *mopes*

****

RHSG: Angst and humor don't exactly go hand in hand, do they? Ah! Okay. End of ch. 7: Goten went home. Vegeta couldn't get him to stay, couldn't make himself ask Goten to stay, and was suffering for it. That help?

-----------------------

"I spent an entire week in your bed! You even agreed to help me through my change!" Goten cried as Trunks stalked away. "Why does it matter that your father was the only one home? That it was him instead of you?"

Trunks stopped, but didn't turn around. "It doesn't," he answered harshly. "That week means nothing. Uncontrollable. You chose this, Goten. You chose to fuck him. I don't want anything to do with you." He started away.

"Yes… I did choose him." Huge black eyes filled with tears. Goten slumped to the floor. "I chose… it's my fault," he whispered. "I took advantage of his fears and his weakness, his illness… and now, I haven't even got him. Only our baby."

"What?!" Trunks spun. "What did you say?"

Goten curled up on himself. "He didn't choose me. He left me… us… How could he? He said he wanted this child!" He couldn't fight the tears any longer. They fell.

Trunks went to the phone, called Chi-Chi. His face paled as they talked, and he slammed the phone down. Stalking back over to Goten, he hauled the younger boy up by the front of his shirt. "How far along are you?" Receiving only sobs in reply, he shook the boy, then slapped him. "Answer me!"

"Ei… Eight months."

"Does my mother know?"

"I do… don't know. She never came to see… how he was. Never at… meals… when he got better."

Goten wasn't making any attempt to stand on his own. "Stand up. And stop sniveling." As soon as Goten got his feet under him, Trunks let him go. "Who does know?"

"My… fam… father. His wife and her son, his family. Your father, you, and me."

My family. He'd started to say his family, and changed it. So, that was why they'd stopped coming. Not because Goten was… euphemism, he really didn't want the images with the proper term… playing doctor with his father, (that euphemism sure didn't help!) but because they knew he was pregnant! No, wait. Goku still came. "Your father doesn't know?"

"My father is a true Saiyan." Eyes still glittering with tears met Trunks'. "He has his memory back. He knows, but for a tr…" his voice broke, and continued shakily, "a true Saiyan, it's perfectly normal. An… any Saiyan can have a child. He knows that."

A true Saiyan. Trunks' jaw clenched. He'd heard that far, far too many times growing up. He sighed, shook his head. "I'm sorry, Goten. I've been a real jerk. Come on." The astonished gratitude in his friend's eyes made Trunks truly aware of just how big a jerk he'd been. He knew Saiyans and humans were different, after all, he was half Saiyan himself! He'd been through the change, knew what it was like. And Goten had been sleeping with his dad even before his change, and after, because of the nightmares. "A real jerk," he repeated.

He slung an arm over the younger boy's shoulder, guiding him through the house to his room. They settled on the bed, Trunks holding Goten rather awkwardly as he cried. As soon as the bout seemed to be ending, Trunks requested, "Please tell me. All of it."

Goten leaned against his friend, his own strength spent. "I knew it would happen… I've known a long time. I just… I didn't expect it to be so soon…."

"Shh, there. Start at the beginning, okay? Tell me why… I don't understand why. I mean, he's my father!"

"Remember when we were little, watching your dad fighting Majin Buu? And he was caught by the flab rope? You told me he'd been a prince, once."

"I remember." Trunks frowned. Goten had been seven!

"Call it hero worship. A former prince… who'd fought a bad man to save me. I looked up to your dad for the longest time, even though he wasn't very nice." A shudder ran through the slender form. Trunks tightened his hold on the other involuntarily. "And then Dad brought him home, after he blew up Capsule Corp. Terrified, wounded. He would wake us all up with his screaming, the nightmares. Dad could always calm him down, and I look a lot like Dad."

Trunks snorted. "You're your dad in miniature, and you know it."

A weak chuckle. "Yeah. The third night, I followed Dad when he went to calm your dad down. I watched them. And what I saw… I felt so sorry for your dad. And I thought I might be able to help. So, after Dad went back to bed, I snuck back down to Vegeta's room." Goten lifted a hand, let it drop back into his lap.

"He was awake, had all the lights on. I shut off all of them but the nightlight… you should have seen him, Trunks. Your dad… It was like he'd lost his soul, and there was nothing left of him but his body and the fear. I walked right up to him and told him I'd stay with him if he'd just scoot over a bit. And he did."

Goten was silent for a time. "It was like with you," he said finally. "Curling up together, and how desperately he needed me to be there. He couldn't stand to be alone at night, and I didn't leave him. I liked sleeping with him, Trunks. Especially since… since you weren't even talking to me then. Because of that week at your house. I don't know, maybe I was trying to substitute him for you. Except for that first night, I'd enjoyed it. You."

Trunks blinked. Tried to think of something to say. "Oh."

Goten laughed, a short little gasp. "I thought there was something wrong with me. I mean, my moth… mother… things like that weren't supposed to feel good. I was supposed to like girls. But…" a helpless shrug, "when I got a girlfriend, I knew it wasn't the same. I just didn't feel the same with her as with you. Or your dad, and we weren't doing anything. And then she met…. It didn't matter anymore, because your dad remembered his nightmares, and told me what they were."

From the way Goten was trembling, he didn't want to know about those nightmares, Trunks decided. "And what happened?"

"Nothing. Everything. He told me about the Saiyans, like he always does my dad, only I was interested enough to ask questions. That's how I found out about the change. And he told me bits and pieces of his life, trying to understand why he wasn't healing and getting over what had happened to him.

"And then my mom started thinking I loved him. And Dad went to talk to him." Goten's whole body grew stiff in Trunks' awkward embrace. "I was coming back from the shower… I heard them. That was the night his tail tried to regenerate, the night Gohan spent over seven hours trying to repair the damage that woman caused. He bled… so much, in such pain… but all I could think of was what he'd told my dad."

His voice dropped, becoming introspective. "I never realized until then that was what I wanted. It hurt… so badly. I'd thought he cared about me, too, from the way he acted, but… I found out the truth. Not in time, but I found out."

"You love my dad."

"Yes." Goten rubbed tears from his eyes. "He went home. I came to see you one day, and your mom sent you on errands. So I decided to hit the pool until you came back. And there was your dad, too dizzy and weak to stay standing, getting ready to go swimming. I made him go inside, got him something to eat, and then put him to bed. A few days later, my change hit, and Dad brought me here cause you'd promised to help. Except, you were gone. And your dad was home. The rest, you know."

"Eight months ago," Trunks said quietly. "But it was your change." He'd confronted his father about the change shortly after he'd come home. What his father had said didn't in the least agree with _Goten_ getting pregnant.

"I know. I… insisted," Goten admitted. "Begged. I… wanted him… to love me. In… spite of what he said."

What he said? Oh, to Goku. And somehow, Trunks didn't think Goten meant physical love. "Goten, what was it my dad said?"

"I wouldn't mate… with your spawn. Said with all the disgust toward my dad that he'd had before, and with the an expression of absolute revulsion. He meant it… but… when I came here, when he was so sick… he was so glad I was there. I thought, maybe that… I thought… I was wrong."

"Oh." What else could he say? Trunks knew better than anyone that Vegeta had been happy to see Goten, and overjoyed that he stayed. He'd treated Goten with all the caring Trunks had wished for growing up, been both protective and possessive. And passionate, Trunks added with a twisted grin, remembering when he'd walked in on them. And now? "But, are you sure? I mean, I didn't want to have anything to do with either of you after, ah, that one day, but it sure didn't seem like he didn't care."

"He told my father to take me home. Or if he couldn't, he'd provide a Capsule house for me. Dad asked him why. He doesn't want me here." The brief conversation raged in his head.

_"Kakarot, take your brat home. He doesn't need to be here."_

"Vegeta? Why? Are you sure?"

"I don't want him here any longer. If necessary, I will give you a Capsule house for him, but he is not to be here in the morning."

"It will be done, my Prince."

"Goten? Hey? You alright?" Trunks shook his head. "That's a dumb question."

"He said he didn't want me, that I didn't need to be here." Goten met Trunks' eyes, glittering tears on his lashes. "He hates me."

"How about thirty minutes of oblivion?" Trunks suggested. "Let Gotenks be pregnant for awhile."

"Gotenks?" It had been so many years. "Um, sure. Why not?"

"Oh, man! What was I thinking?" the purple and black haired boy asked. "This was really stupid! I think I need to be sick." He was, several times. "And thirty minutes? If I could beat myselves, I would!"

Someone knocked on the door. "Trunks? Goten? Are either of you… GOTENKS!" The door crashed open. Goku stared open-mouthed at the fused half-breed. "ARE YOU INSANE?"

"No. I'm sick." Gotenks promptly proved it.

"Oh, Kami. Vegeta is not going to like this. Not at all. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I didn't do it!" Gotenks protested. "They did. You think I'm enj…" He was sick again. "ENJOYING this!?"

"Well, no." Goku approached the boy. "Is the baby alright?"

"Oh, he's fine. Kicking like mad," the blended voice complained. "But you promise me something, Goku. You promise me you'll beat some sense into myselves. They aren't to do this to me again!" Another spell of illness. "Ever!"

"Uh, right. How long have you been fused?"

Gotenks looked up at the clock. "Not nearly long enough. A whole fifteen minutes."

Goku looked at the teen, then back at the door. Vegeta stood there, his face chalky white, staring at Gotenks. Gotenks followed his gaze.

"You… this is your fault!"

"Now, Gotenks!" Goku tried placating him, "How can the boys deciding to fuse be his fault?"

"Because I wanted to forget! Thirty minutes of oblivion. He hates me!" The blended voice sounded at first like Goten, then Trunks, and then the normally cocky Gotenks blend.

Vegeta turned, left.

"Uh, Vegeta? Hey! Wait!" Goku followed him.

"Well, that went really well."

Hands and knees, gagging violently. Trunks looked across at Goten. "That was not a good idea."

"No. It wasn't like last time." Goten clutched his middle. "Oh, I hurt!"

"The baby?"

"I don't know. Aghh!" Goten curled up, fetal position. Trunks moved to him, holding his hands out over the other boy. He concentrated, spreading a soothing bluish-green glow of energy over his friend's midsection. Goten continued to pant, trying to focus on the warmth and not the pain. A sudden, sharp surge of pain made him cry out, half sitting up, eyes wide.

"What? What is it?"

"It hurrrtsss!" Goten moaned. "So bad. It hurts!"

"Hang on. I have a senzu, someplace." Trunks trashed the room, hunting for the small bean he'd thought was in the nightstand drawer. He finally found it, hidden under a stack of papers on his desk. "Here. Take this."

Goten chewed the bean, swallowed. Trunks watched, but Goten didn't seem to be getting any relief from the nearly magical beans. If anything, he seemed to be in greater pain. As if to prove it, Goten screamed.

"Goten!" Trunks was frantic, now. Senzu beans were supposed to take care of anything! Gohan had even recovered from a broken neck.

"Make it stop, Trunks!" the younger boy cried. "Make it stop!"

"I… I'll get my mom. She'll know what to do." Trunks dashed at top speed to his mother's lab, returning less than two minutes later, his mother in tow. Goten wasn't even trying to stop his screams now.

"What happened? Exact sequence, please." Bulma bent over Goten, who was curled up again. Trunks told her.

"He's WHAT!!!!" Bulma looked up from her examination, then stared back down at the half-Saiyan teen. Her eyes went to her watch.

"What's wrong with Goten?"

"I don't know, Goku. I thought Mom might be able to help…" Trunks said helplessly.

"He's in labor," Bulma said calmly. "I expect the fusion brought it on. Goku, bring him down to the med bay, will you?"

"Okay." He picked up his son and followed the blue-haired woman to the room she wanted. Goku laid Goten carefully on the small bed. "Should I sta….." He bolted from the room when Bulma turned, holding a long needle.

"Goten, this is a pain killer. I'm going to inject it in your back, it should block some of the pain. Or make you feel floaty so that the pain doesn't bother you." Since her only answer was another scream, she administered it.

The little Saiyan was born two hours later, screaming as loudly as his father had. Mother? Bulma wiped the boy down, counted fingers and toes, then laid him on Goten's stomach. To her shock, a long brown tail wrapped around the squalling infant, who quieted immediately, his own little reddish tail curling tightly around the larger one.

"A fine boy, Goten. And with the requisite Saiyan hairstyle." The baby's long hair, black with reddish tinges, spiked out even more wildly than his father's. Mother's? "And are you father or mother?"

"Both." Goten sat up carefully, examining his young son. "My tail!" he exclaimed when he finally noticed what he held the baby with.

"Yes, your tail is back. Trunks said you were eight months along?"

"Uh-hu. He's small."

"Small, but healthy." Bulma finished putting away the instruments she'd used to examine them both. "For being premature, he's in remarkably good shape. Now, how about feeding him?"

Goten looked at her blankly. "Feeding?"

"Oh dear." She helped Goten reposition the baby. "I have no idea if it works the same for male mothers as it does female ones, but it's worth a shot. Oh, there. Yes, that does seem to do it."

"Ow! That hurts!"

"It does at first. Now, do you mind telling me just how you wound up pregnant? I'm fairly sure I can guess who the father is."

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Awww… the baby's here… such a little cutie. *cuddles baby Saiyan*


	10. Veten

"And when exactly did you plan to tell me about the change a half-Saiyan child goes through?"

"I didn't think it would happen. They are half-human." Vegeta never turned from his contemplation of the view out the window. "Why would I consider it?"

"You knew when Gohan was fourteen, Vegeta."

"Gohan was born with a tail. Trunks and Bra weren't." Only the slightest tinge of bitterness escaped.

"And that meant what? That they weren't Saiyan enough? Didn't you think when Trunks went super that the possibility existed?"

"Why would I?"

"Vegeta!" She hadn't missed the bitterness that time. Bulma walked up to him, slipping her arms around his waist. "Are our children really such a disappointment to you that you never once considered the possibility that they might take more after the Saiyan side of the family than mine? Is that why you took Goten?"

Vegeta tensed. He'd thought it was over, but the involuntary reaction had proven him wrong. For the first time since he'd come home… he remembered what he had banished from his mind. "Let me go."

Bulma released him, stepping back in surprise at the venom in his tone. "Vegeta?"

He said nothing, his body so tense he was barely able to breathe.

She pursed her lips, observing the rigid stance. "Don't you want to know about your son?"

"My son?" he managed to whisper. The whisper of the terrified child he had been, but this time, the terror was for his child, not himself. Bulma didn't hear him.

"Or should I say, Goten's son?" Bulma asked after a moment. "I should have known you wouldn't care. You certainly don't care about our son."

Vegeta shrugged. Let her think so. It would be best. He had, after all, told Kakarot to take the boy home. It would be best for Goten and the baby if he didn't seem interested. Easier when… his mind shied away from the thought that tried to form.

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. He's born." She proceeded to give him the baby's vital statistics, watching for some response. She got none. "Oh, and one more thing. He has a tail."

He turned his head, just slightly.

"Oh, I see that caught your interest."

"Kakarot will know to keep him out of the moonlight."

"You're not going to take any responsibility at all?" Bulma waited, but Vegeta remained silent. "Fine. No one expected it of you." She laced the last word with deliberate malice, slamming the door behind her.

Vegeta drew a deep breath, let it out in a trembling sigh. His hands went out, catching the sides of the window, his brow resting against the glass. It would take so little, now. To have thought it all over… a shattered fantasy. He dropped to his knees, slid into a senseless heap on the floor. He never felt the knife.

His lips moved, but no voice begged the question he tried to pose. His hands were chained, his feet. Even his tail was tied. Pain washed over him in waves as he watched the blade slice through his tail, a long spiraling cut designed to skin the fur from it. His screams were silent, his body arcing against the straps holding him to the table. He'd lost his voice days ago, screamed himself hoarse.

Near him, on a gurney, was a small dissected corpse. The tiny tail straggled over the edge. Too late, he'd realized he'd been drugged. Tears filled his eyes, he'd been too drugged to stop them from killing his child in that brutally long, painful way. Why were they doing this? He'd thought they were his friends! Why!?

Goten sat up straight, eyes darting wildly around the room before focusing on the small lump he held so securely. His baby was safe. It had just been a nightmare. A terrible, horrible nightmare. And he wasn't staying in the room an instant longer. Moments later, he was out of the hospital gown and into his own clothes. He slipped out the door, the tiny child held tightly cradled against his chest.

No one in the hall. He hurried down it, toward the exit he knew was at the end.

"Goten?"

No other voice could have stopped him. He turned, looking back toward the room he'd just vacated. Vegeta hung onto the doorframe, the hall behind him red with his blood. "Goten?"

"Here." The prince turned at the soft call, braced himself against the door.

"You're leaving?" Vegeta leaned heavily against the wall, pushing himself down the corridor towards Goten.

"I… What's wrong?" He moved swiftly back to the prince. "Vegeta! What happened?"

"Goten." Vegeta put one hand on the boy's shoulder, looked down at the child. "You… must take care of him. Keep him safe. Don't… don't stay here. Take these." He extended a capsule case, his hand shaking badly. "Everything you need. Please… hurry. Go. Now."

Goten took the case, slid it into a pocket. "I'm going." He gasped as Vegeta sagged against him, the last dregs of energy gone, and lowered the prince's body carefully to the floor. "Vegeta! Oh… dammit Vegeta! I love you." He held the still figure an instant longer, then ran.

Where would he be safe? What was in the capsules? He hadn't looked. Pausing beneath a streetlight, he pulled the case out and examined the contents. Vegeta hadn't lied. Transportation, shelter, food, water, it was all there. And a note. He read it through once, then again, horrified. Goten popped one of the cars, and drove himself out of town. Where did Capsule Corp. not have any influence?

Nowhere. No matter how small the town, there was always a capsule shop. But, he didn't need to be in a town. Vegeta had provided them with everything they'd need to set up house wherever he wanted. And it wasn't like Goten didn't know how to live off the land. He'd done that for years.

"Trust only in Kakarot." The line from the note hung in his mind. Kakarot… his father. How could Vegeta be so sure his father, Bulma's best friend, could be trusted? Wait. Kakarot. Kakarot wasn't Bulma's best friend. That was Goku. Kakarot was a loyal Saiyan warrior. A smothered sob escaped. How was he to tell when Kakarot was around, and not Goku? His father could switch from one identity to the other with absolutely no warning! And how was he supposed to consider his own father untrustworthy!?

He kept his power level smashed down as low as he could for the next several weeks. When a vehicle ran out of gas, he abandoned it, and would run for miles on foot before choosing another. And he avoided the smaller towns, choosing instead the anonymity of larger ones, where everyone wouldn't know everyone else, when he absolutely had to stop for supplies. After three months of running, he finally found an area where he felt he could be safe.

Goten hadn't seen a town for almost a week, and the forested area he was in was plentiful in game and harvestables. He'd checked the size of the capsule house Vegeta had given him, and set it up as soon as he found a sheltering cave big enough to hold it. He wanted no evidence of anyone living there to show from the air. His son was quite happy to settle into the cradle Goten found in it.

"I still need to give you a name, little one," he told the boy sadly. "I've been so busy running, I haven't had time to give it any thought. Vegeta and I talked about it, but we'd thought we had another month to decide.

"We were so wrong." Hopelessly, Goten searched for the energy signal he'd held so dear, the one he knew he would never feel again. "We were wrong. She killed him in the end, just like she'd planned all along. Broke him, took his pride, his honor, and finally his life."

He pulled the note from the capsule case, read it through again. "He loved me, Veten. He showed me, over and over, and I kept leaving him. Because he never said the words. And I was too afraid to tell him…. To him, I was always the spawn of Kakarot. Someone he would never mate. He despised my father for so long, it just spilled over. And when we were finally able to tell each other, it was too late. Too late…" Goten tucked the note away, pulled his son close and just cuddled him as tears slid down his face.

"Veten was the name we talked about most, a blending of our own. So that is your name, my son."

He'd hidden himself away very well, Trunks knew. He didn't understand why his mother was so determined to find Goten, however. He'd asked, but her reply, that Goten had no idea how to care for a child, didn't ring true. He searched again, finding Goku, Gohan, the others. There was no trace of Goten, as usual.

Could he be dead? Goku swore his son was still alive, that he would know if his youngest was dead. But not even his searches had turned up so much as a clue. And Goku was the most sensitive when it came to such things. Trunks had even gone to visit Dende, but the young Namek had spread his hands and said he couldn't help them find Goten or his son.

And if Dende couldn't help, who could?

A sudden flare. Trunks turned, facing where he'd thought he'd felt something. He waited, but there was no further disruption from that source.

Goku spun. His son! Only a brief signal, not long enough to lock onto. But, he had the direction now. Choosing a chi at random, he jumped closer to the area where he'd felt his son. "Goten, where are you?"

"Tell me your name."

"Goten! Where are you?" Goku spun toward his son's voice, to see no one. Close enough to hear, but he couldn't sense the boy. "Goten?"

"Who are you?"

"Who?" Goku asked, confused. "I'm your father, Goten! Where are you?"

"Tell me your name."

He turned again, beginning to grow angry. "You know my name!"

"Why are you here?"

Goku looked ready to cry. "But… you called me! I came because you called me."

"Who came?"

"Goten, this isn't funny! Where are you? Are you alright?" Goku turned again, reaching out to find the boy's signal.

"Who came?"

"I don't understand!" Goku turned a complete circle, sensing no one, seeing no one. This part of the city was deserted. "Why do you keep asking me that? I'm your father! Goku! Please, Goten, where are you?"

A soft sigh, then silence. "Goten? Goten!" His search of the area proved fruitless, and he returned home despondent. His favorite climbing tree became his perch as he thought over the brief visit. Who came? What is your name? Why did you come? But, Goten had known the answers to all those questions. He was Goku, Goten's father, and he had come because Goten had called for him.

A colder, harder thought. He was also Kakarot, the Saiyan warrior, loyal to the Prince.

Goku stared down at the ground through the shifting leaves. Vegeta… had never liked him, considering Goku a baka. Which, Goku admitted, he frequently was, not being particularly smart. But his Saiyan self was a different story. A common soldier, but no fool, and Vegeta had depended on his loyalty.

His loyalty. To the prince. To the prince's line. Suddenly, that half surged to the fore, and he understood. Kakarot returned to the city where Goten had been.

"Goten. I know you can hear me. How is the boy?" He waited, senses alert.

After a time, he got his reply. "Well enough."

He spun, still too slow to catch the boy's movement. "And you?"

"Who asks?"

"I am Kakarot. You know that."

A movement to his right, and Goten stepped from the shadows. "I am well enough."

"Where is the boy?"

"Where he will be safe. Vegeta…" The young man's voice broke, and he swallowed convulsively. "Vegeta told me to keep him safe, gave me what we needed to make our own home."

"Then you know?" Kakarot wasn't quite so harsh.

"He died… in my arms, ensuring our son's survival." Slowly, Goten extended a much handled scrap of paper. Kakarot took it from him, read it through. Blinked in disbelief. Read it again.

"He never taught me to read Saiyan," Goten said. "So I don't know what that last part says."

"By the exchange of blood and blows and love I chose my lifemate. Serve him as you served me, our son is my heir," Kakarot translated quietly. "Teach my son and mate our ways and the histories and traditions we held dear. Raise my son to be proud of his heritage, teach yours of his." His hand trembled slightly as he returned the paper.

"Lifemate? But…" Goten folded the scrap carefully, tucked it away again. "He was so proud, you know. I heard what he told you, about mating with your spawn. I never thought he would change his mind. And I heard him, the day the baby was born. Telling you he didn't want me there anymore. I know why, now." His hand covered the pocket with the note.

"Yes." Kakarot bowed his head, just for a moment. Respect for the dead. "We both do, now. I never would have believed it."

"No. Trunks… he doesn't know."

"You don't think he's safe?"

Goten shook his head. "No, I think he's safe enough. And Gohan. It's you, the child, and myself. You're the last of the full-blooded Saiyans. The baby and I… that's revenge, I think. I dreamed it, Daddy. I saw what would happen. I was leaving when Vegeta came to warn me."

Kakarot gathered his trembling son close. Barely seventeen, never on his own before, and now taking care of both himself and his own child. He'd been betrayed by people he trusted. And told not to trust his father. What to say? "I missed your birthday."

"It's okay," Goten replied with a weak chuckle. "I didn't want a big party anyway." He pulled back, just a little, and told his father the dream. "I won't go back, Dad. I've got a place now, where we're safe."

"You don't think I am though." Kakarot frowned.

Goten spread his hands. "I don't know. Not since you've gotten your memory back."

"In other words, the clown is perfectly safe, I'm not."

Goten bobbled his head, a half-grin on his face. "Yeah, if you wanna put it that way… that sounds right."

Kakarot made a disgruntled noise. "Well, I guess I'll just stay with you, then. How else can I teach you?" he added when Goten started to protest. "Or the boy?"

Trunks gasped. Goku! He'd just blinked out of existence! What could have happened? And in the same area where he thought he'd felt Goten for an instance. He wasn't his parents' child for nothing, however. After a moment of panic, it made sense. Goten was hiding. Goku would have damped his own energy signal so that no one would find him.

Again, he wondered what could have happened to send Goten into hiding. It had to have something to do with his father. Why else would his father have been down in the room where Goten had had the baby, after telling Goku to get him out of the house before morning? He knew Goku hadn't taken him, he and Goku had found Vegeta when they'd gone to see the new arrival.

Tears. He wiped them from his face. Only here, high above the roof of Capsule Corp., had he shed any tears for his father. His otherwise unlamented father. He'd been astonished by the anger that had darkened his mother's visage before the mask of calmness descended, and more surprised that she had merely said she'd see to the cremation. There had been no tears from her, or his sister. Weren't girls supposed to cry? He wiped wet cheeks, turned to face the wind.

How could they not miss him? Sure, his father had been moody and difficult, spending most of his time training and with rarely a kind word for them, but still! He sighed, chalking it up to another unsolvable mystery. His mother had shown more interest in Goten's disappearance than his father's murder. And she'd ask again, when he went down, if there had been any sign of the boy.

Tonight, he'd lie.

A sharp, panicked spike of energy, abruptly cut off. Goten and Kakarot turned as one. "Trunks!"

"He wasn't safe?" Goten cried in distress. "We have to do something!"

"I'll get him." Kakarot frowned, concentrating on Trunks' now very faint signal. "Got him." He vanished.

"Dad!" Too late, Goten realized it could have been a trap. He spent several worried minutes before his father reappeared, an unconscious, bleeding Trunks slung over his shoulder. Goten hurried to help. "This much damage in so short a time?"

"He's going to need a doctor. This is more than I can handle," Kakarot said after a moment.

"Gohan. He's probably targeted too, after all."

"I'll bring him and Pan."

"No. Just him." Goten had a faraway look. "Not Pan. She is safe, just like Bra is."

His father shot him a horrified look, then vanished again. It was some time before he reappeared with Gohan, and by then, Goten had managed to get some of Trunks' bleeding under control. Gohan took one look, then set to tending the demi-Sayain.

"Why is it they must get hurt when there aren't any senzu beans?" he asked rhetorically, threading a needle to begin stitching yet another gash. "And what happened?"

Trunks' eyes flickered as Gohan stitched. Goten noticed. "Hey! I think he's coming around!"

"Ow."

Gohan ignored him, but did speak to Trunks. "What did you do, Trunks, try training at your father's level?"

"No, my own." Trunks clenched his teeth, grinding out the words. "The GR went haywire… training bots just came on, and the gravity fluctuating."

Goten and Kakarot exchanged a look. "That happened to Vegeta, too," Goten said quietly. "The day before he died."

"Mom… never got around to fixing it," Trunks told him. "I'd forgot…. OW! That hurt!"

"Antiseptic does," Gohan replied, unperturbed. "And I get to use a lot more of it."

"Can I please pass out again?" Trunks pleaded.

Kakarot bonked him on the head. "Wish granted."

"Dad!" Gohan complained. "Did you really need to do that?"

"The boy is being weak."

"You sound like Vegeta."

"I _am_ a Saiyan."

Gohan looked up, startled. "That's never stopped _you_ from saying something hurt."

"Dad got his memories back. Didn't he tell you?"

Again, Gohan ignored his younger brother. He turned his attention back to his patient, finishing his disinfecting and stitching. "Knowing him, he'll be fine in a couple days, anyway. But if this happened in the GR, what's he doing here?" He looked to his father for the answer.

"I brought him here. It seems whoever went after Vegeta is after the rest of the Saiyan males, as well."

"What!" Gohan jerked to his feet. "What? After us? Why?"

Kakarot's tail twitched spasmodically; he wrapped it around his waist. Gohan's eyes went to it, widening. "Someone is after the Saiyan males. Vegeta was taken from the GR, originally. He'd been knocked unconscious, revived long enough to recognize he was being taken out before passing out again. He'd thought the person could be trusted.

"She would have gotten Goten as well, but Vegeta warned him to run, to keep Veten safe. That was the night he was murdered." He nodded once, sharply, as Gohan gasped. "He was murdered. Stabbed. He hadn't recovered fully from his last illness, and just couldn't take another attack."

"He was bleeding so much," Goten said softly. "So much. The hallway wall… he pulled himself along it, to warn us. So that his son would live. Red with his blood, the wall, the floor." His hand clenched, eyes closing to hold in the tears.

Kakarot moved, pulling his youngest son against his chest. "You saved the child, as he told you," he soothed, running a hand over Goten's long hair. "You couldn't have saved him. It was too late when he found you."

Gohan looked at the two, a grimace of distaste twisting his handsome features. "Why is it you don't have a problem with him having sex with a man, or having a baby?"

"Why would I?" Kakarot flattened a mass of spikes so that he could see his older son. "I told you, I'm a Saiyan. It surprised me that Vegeta chose him, a half-breed, not that he had a child. All of us are capable of having children."

"What?!!"

"I'm Saiyan. Any Saiyan is capable of having a child. Me, you, your brother, Trunks, even Vegeta. There aren't any gender hang-ups among Saiyans because of that."

"Are you saying you would have fucked Vegeta?" Gohan asked incredulously.

"I would have, and been proud to have been chosen. If Vegeta hadn't hated Goku so much, even you would have fucked him. Instead, he took you to a whorehouse. Did you enjoy it?" Kakarot's tone was cool, almost mocking.

Gohan's face drained of color, remembering that particular week of his life. "No." Then what his father said struck him. "What do you mean, hated Goku so much? You are Goku!"

"I am Goku. I am Kakarot. Didn't you hear your brother? I have my memory back."

At his feet, Trunks groaned. Gohan dropped back down, letting tending to his patient cover the myriad of unsettling emotions his father's words had evoked.

Goten, suddenly unsure now whether it was Goku or Kakarot holding him, slipped from his father's loose grasp. Trunks' return to consciousness gave him the distraction he needed. With a last, sad look at the others, he darted away, vanishing before they realized he was gone again. Kakarot was warned, and Gohan. They would tell Trunks. But he would heed Vegeta's warning, understanding suddenly that Goku - his tenderhearted, trusting father - would never believe that his best friend for ages could be so evil. Not even with the proof of Vegeta's torture and death in front of him.

It was several minutes before they realized he'd gone. A sudden worried look crossed Goku/Kakarot's face. "Where's Goten?"

It took only a moment to sling Veten into his carrier, to reduce the house to a capsule again. Goten ghosted through the forest he'd been calling home, making his way further from his father, suppressing his energy and his son's thoroughly. He couldn't risk either of them being found, not now. Not after finally understanding Vegeta's concern. How he wished he knew his father's Instant Transmission technique! He could… but it didn't matter. He'd never learned it. He hadn't taken his training particularly seriously, after all.

Now, oh, how he wished he had! He'd learned how to hide his energy and himself simply to be able to escape his father's constant demands for a "friendly spar." But as for fighting and techniques? He'd mostly blown that off, not thinking it of any importance, not anymore. He'd been wrong.

His vision blurred with tears, he paused. It wouldn't do to get hurt and have to reveal himself in order to get help. Oh, why did his father have to have what basically amounted to a split personality? How could the Kakarot side fulfill Vegeta's last order if he, Goten, had to keep away from the Goku side? He dropped to the ground, cuddling his son close, crooning gently as he fed him. So complicated, his life had become.

What should he do? His father could switch from one personality to the other with no warning. He could never be sure that Kakarot wouldn't suddenly, right in the middle of a lesson, revert to Goku with all his dislike of the excessive ferocity and love of bloodshed the Saiyans had. Had had, he amended suddenly. Only one true Saiyan was left, and he usually ignored his heritage.

He looked down at his small son. So strong, and so like his father. Upswept hair, black eyes. Even the chin was the same. Those tiny black eyes, looking up at him, so full of trust. He wouldn't let this boy down the same way he had his father. If he'd only stayed with Vegeta! If he'd stayed, instead of going back to his own bed, Vegeta wouldn't have gone back to her house. If he'd stayed with Vegeta after that first glorious week, his lover would never have gotten so weak. If he'd only paid attention to those silent signals, and ignored what he'd said! A teardrop splashed on his son's cheek, and the baby eeped.

"It's okay, Veten. She won't find you. I won't let her find you."


	11. Years Later

Okay, as you can tell from the title of the chapter, several years have passed. This is the very last of the part I had pre-written. And, to my intense disgust, I still have writer's block on this story.

Goku wolfed down the sandwiches Bulma had ready for him. "Thanks, Bulma! I was hungry!"

"You're never not hungry, Goku," the woman laughed.

"I know," he admitted without a trace of shame. "It's just the way I am, I guess. Hey, do you think Trunks will spar with me later?"

"He's off at college, Goku, you know that."

"That's right, I forgot. Hi, Bra!"

"Goku." The young girl's voice was cooler than usual, and the appraising look she gave him was totally unlike her.

"What do you want for your birthday? It's…" Goku blinked, frowned, "next week, right?"

"You're invited to the party, you know." Said as if she couldn't care less if he came.

Goku blinked again, surprised. "Ah…. Did I do something to make you mad?"

"Of course not, Goku," Bulma broke in, bestowing a quelling look on her daughter. "She's just at that difficult stage."

Bra hmphed, and flounced out of the room. But the look she threw at Goku from the shadows made him squirm uncomfortably. "The difficult stage? Oh, a teenager." He frowned, then grinned. "I guess it would be different with girls!"

"No, not really. Mood swings and yelling and hating the world because they're not in control," Bulma laughed. "And she doesn't want anything for her birthday. Not even the party, so don't you worry about it."

"Why did I come by?" Goku tapped his forehead, then nibbled on a fingernail. "I know it was important…"

"Goku?" Bulma looked at him in some astonishment. "Did you have news about Goten?"

A fission of something tingled down his spine. After all this time, she still wondered? Ah well, but she was his friend, and his son was still missing. "Nothing. Not one…" He spread his arms out, then dropped them. "Not one trace," he finished sadly. But it was the look Bra had given him that occupied his mind, not the son he hadn't seen - or felt - for eight years. Why did it seem… he shook his head.

"I'm sorry." Goku looked up at her when she rested her hand over his own. The concern in the blue eyes wasn't faked. The fission tingled again as he wondered why he would think it could be. "I wish I knew how to help."

"Chi-chi…" Again, his voice trailed to nothing. Chi-chi had run the gamut from outrage over her son's relationship with Vegeta, to total despair when he went missing and couldn't be found. She'd died of heartbreak the year before. "Chi-chi always thought that if she could just find a way to let him know she was sorry, he'd come home. He doesn't even know his mother… is… is gone."

The comforting hand went from his hand to his shoulder, and Bulma held him as he cried.

A single blue forget-me-not rested against the headstone. Trunks looked at it, confused. No one ever visited his father's grave. Only him. So, who could have left the flower? Certainly not his mother or his sister. Goku couldn't abide cemeteries, and Gohan still hated his father - even after so many years. The flower wasn't wilted or faded, which meant whoever had left it hadn't been gone all that long. He looked around, but saw no one except a woman and child kneeling by another grave nearby.

He sat down, cross-legged, next to the grave. After a moment, he traced the symbol of the House of Vegeta. Kakarot had done that. Two weeks after they'd found, and lost, Goten, he'd come here. He'd regarded the stone for only a moment, then carved the symbol firmly into the rock. He, and his counterpart, never returned.

Slowly, he laid down the dandelions he'd brought with him. Many would think it an odd choice, but Trunks knew his father had delighted in the stubborn weed's persistence at growing and thriving where it wasn't wanted, comparing the resilient weed to his lost race. Later, Trunks had learned that the name meant something along the lines of "flower of the king," another thing that had appealed to the kingdom-less prince.

A bunch of dandelions and a forget-me-not. Strange flowers to find on a prince's grave, an odd bouquet. But, who had left the other flower. Again, he looked around the cemetery; again, no one except the woman and child. They were leaving. Perhaps they had seen? He rose, and walked toward them.

"Excuse me?" he said, tapping her shoulder.

The woman stiffened, turned slowly, putting the child behind her skirts. Trunks had a glimpse of sparkling black eyes and an almost familiar face. "Excuse me, I'm sorry. I was visiting my father's grave, and found a flower there. I… I'm the only one who ever visits, so I was wondering if you saw who the other was?"

She kept her face lowered, and her voice, when she finally spoke, was husky with the tears he could see dripping off her chin. "I'm afraid I can't help you."

"I'm really sorry I bothered you, ma'am. I… uh…" What do you say to a crying woman you stopped in a graveyard? "Can I help get you a ride home?"

"No. We live close by. Thank you." She turned abruptly, leaving at such a rapid walk she seemed to be fleeing from him. Trunks stared after her, unsure of what he had done to provoke that kind of a reaction. Not sure why, he followed them. Her voice seemed somehow familiar.

The child was pulling her toward an ice-cream shop, but paused. "Do you have money for ice-cream, Mama?"

A purse was opened, the contents carefully checked. "One single scoop, child." Money dropped into a small palm. Trunks was close enough to hear them easily, and could now see both clearly. His heart lurched.

"Thank you, Mama!" The boy made a beeline for the line at the ice-cream store, his mother sinking wearily down on a nearby park bench.

"What's my brother's name?" Startled black eyes met blue ones. "Goten? What's his name?"

The woman shrank into the bench, terror etching itself into her face. "Who are you? Why are you bothering me?"

Trunks stared down at the terrified woman trying to press herself through the bench. Was he wrong? "You look a great deal like my friend, Goten, who disappeared eight years ago after an affair with my father. My brother would be the same age as your son. We all thought the trauma of the birth might have had something to do with the disappearance." He paused. "My name is Trunks Briefs. I'm the vice-president of Capsule Corporation."

She hadn't relaxed at all, he noticed. If anything, she looked even more scared. "My name is Tengo Sheen. I don't know anyone named Goten! Please, go away!"

His mother was crying. His mother _never_ cried. He peeked into the bedroom, watched as their few possessions - except her clothes - were put into a capsule. His mother proceeded to do the same in the kitchen, bathroom, the front room. "Mama?"

"We have to leave. We have to leave now." His mother scooped up the capsules, placing them carefully into the spaces in the case, then tucking it firmly into the hidden pocket of the skirt.

"But why? Why do we have to move again? I like it here." His whole life had been moving, up until three years ago. That's when they had settled here, when his Mama had gotten the cleaning job at Capsule Corp. He remembered how terrified his mama had been when she applied, and she'd barely been able to talk the day she'd been interviewed. Ever so slowly, she'd lost the constant terror that had plagued her. Now, it was back in force. But, nothing different had happened, except… "Mama, who was that man?"

"He is the vice-president of the place I work. It is not good for him to know me." Goten sighed, looking down at his son. This disguise had worked better than he'd hoped. And the job had allowed him to do all the snooping into places other employees couldn't go. The whole place had to be cleaned, after all. He'd found nothing, nothing that connected Bulma with the torture Vegeta had endured so many years ago. But then, it had been years ago. And then today…

He shuddered, remembering with sick horror what he'd found just that morning. Even so, he'd visited the grave - the empty grave - right after his shift, leaving the same flower he'd left on this day for the last eight years. He hadn't planned on Trunks being there, recognizing him! How could he not know why Goten had fled? How could he not know about his father? And how to explain all that to the small boy looking up at him so sorrowfully. His son didn't even know his mother was a male! But, he had better explain.

"Vegeta…" he paused, still unable to say the name without pain, "your father, was the prince of an alien race known as Saiyans."

"What?"

Goten smiled at the shock on the child's face. "I haven't spoken of this for many years. It wasn't safe then, and it isn't safe now. My father is a low-level Saiyan warrior, Kakarot. He goes by a different name now, though. His memory was lost when his ship crashed here, and he was raised by the man who found him. He grew up as an Earthling, got married, had kids. I have an older brother.

"Vegeta sent my uncle Raditz to find my father. His planet had been destroyed by an evil, evil creature, and my father was one of only four Saiyans left alive. My father refused to have anything to do with Raditz, repudiated his race. Raditz kidnapped my brother to get my father to do what he wanted.

"Father fought him instead. They both died." Goten paused, waiting to see if Veten had questions.

"Are you telling me the truth?" Eyes wide, Veten stared at his mother. He took one breath, then said, "No, of course you are. You never lied to me."

"No. I've omitted things, but never lied. The story gets more complicated." Goten settled himself to the floor. "There are things called dragonballs that summon a dragon who will grant wishes. The dragon was summoned to revive my father when Vegeta and Nappa, the other surviving Saiyan, arrived. Before he was able to return, many of his friends were killed.

"Vegeta killed Nappa for failing to kill my father. That, apparently, was the way of Saiyans. Those who failed, died. My father beat Vegeta, but very nearly lost his own life. He spared Vegeta, and your father left for wherever he came from. Any questions?"

Veten shook his head. He wasn't quite sure if he believed all this, it seemed too impossible. Goten nodded, and continued. "My brother went to Namek to gather the dragonballs there. They were going to wish back the others who had been killed when Vegeta came. But, the creature that destroyed Vegeta's world was there, and so was Vegeta. He wound up in an uneasy alliance with my brother, and my father when he got there. They got the dragonballs, and my brother got his wishes. There was a big mess. They somehow evacuated the entire planet, and my father fought with Frieza. Frieza destroyed that planet, but my father beat him.

"Vegeta came here with the other evacuees. He lived at Capsule Corp., and the uneasy alliance with my father became an uneasy friendship. A very uneasy one. They worked together to keep the planet safe, but Vegeta considered my father his greatest rival."

"Why?"

"My father was stronger than he was." Goten shrugged. "Vegeta was the Prince of the Saiyans, an Elite. My father was nothing but a common low-class warrior. He shouldn't have been stronger, but he was. And Vegeta was determined to be the stronger of the two. He never was. He'd reach father's level only to find that my father had surpassed him again. And not until he admitted it did they truly become something like friends."

Another unhappy sigh. "Vegeta's son was my best friend. We did everything together, it seemed. When the time came for his change, I was there." Now here was something tricky to explain.

"What change?"

"A Saiyan goes through a change when he or she reaches sexual maturity. Basically, they're in rut for about a week." Okay, maybe not so tricky. The next part however… "And a Saiyan, whether male or female, can get pregnant."

Blink. Blink, blink. "What?"

"A Saiyan," Goten began, only to have his son wave his hands frantically.

"I got it, I got it!"

Goten nodded. "I, however, wasn't sexually mature for that little incident."

"Ooookaaayyy…" Not exactly disbelieving, but definitely puzzled.

"Right after that happened, my father brought Vegeta home with him. He's gone missing awhile before, Dad had gone hunting for him. He'd been captured, tortured. He'd healed some, but something set him off at his home, and he very nearly destroyed it. My dad had a calming influence on him, so he brought him to our house.

"Trunks wouldn't talk to me after his change. He was - is - a very straight laced person. Anything like that… well, he just didn't want to see me. And I… well, I was missing him. And his father needed me. I started taking care of Vegeta." The soft little sigh told Veten more than any words his mother could say.

"You fell in love with him."

"I did." Goten looked out the tiny window the tiny apartment boasted. Grimy brick walls met his gaze. "He was there for two years before I learned about the change. Which, of course, made the whole incident with my best friend make sense. It took weeks afterwards for Trunks to talk to me, much less invite me over for games and sparring like we'd always done."

"You sparred?" Veten's eyes widened in surprise yet again. His mother ran from everything!

"I was a trained fighter, Veten. Like my brother and Trunks, I'd helped guard this planet." Goten leaned back a bit. "I know that seems like a total opposite of me now. I did that deliberately." He opened the capsule case, taking out all the capsules slowly as he continued, "Vegeta said something that made me upset. Shortly afterward, he went back to his home. I was still visiting Trunks, and on one of those visits…." There were so many ways to describe what had happened. "I didn't know it, but my change was starting. And I was treating Vegeta exactly as I had before he said that awful thing. He was in terrible shape. He was having nightmares about the torture he'd been through, they'd wake him up. Since he couldn't sleep, he trained himself until he passed out from exhaustion. To top it off, he wasn't eating or drinking much."

Veten nodded. His mother had made sure, in spite of their incessant moving, that he was well-educated. "I see."

"I got sick. It's part of the change. My dad, by then he'd been told about it, so he took me to Trunks' house, because he'd agreed to be my partner for the change. Vegeta was home, Trunks wasn't. And by the end of the week, I was pregnant.

"The day you were born, Vegeta gave me this." The paper he carefully unfolded had been much handled, and was in danger of falling apart. Veten took it, read it, and handed it back.

"Bad news."

"Beyond bad. I did what he said, I ran. I've contacted my family once since then. You were about a year old." He sighed. "I told them, showed my father the message. He told my brother, I thought they told Trunks. But, I had to obey your father, and I knew why he told me not to trust my father."

"But, isn't Kakarot your father?"

"Kakarot is my father's Saiyan side, the side that was practically erased in the wreck. My father got those memories back not long before you were born. My father, Goku, is more of a… ah," How could one describe Goku? "He's a fantastic warrior with a heart of gold, completely innocent, and totally trusting. He'd never believe this in a second, even though he knew what Vegeta had been through, and even though he knew Vegeta had been murdered. And he is the one, the personality, more often in control of the body. He'd reverted to Goku by the time I'd finished warning Kakarot."

Horribly confusing, Veten decided. "That still doesn't explain why we have to move."

Goten finished fitting the last capsule, and tucked the case back into its hiding place. "Because of two things. First, Trunks saw me today. He recognized me, in spite of my disguise. I grew my hair out while I hid us, started wearing these long skirted dresses. I thought that would be the best way to hide, right out in the open. I was right, too. It worked for three years, and I had time to see if there was any evidence left to prove what Vegeta feared. I found that this morning."

The shudder that ripped through his mother startled Veten with its intensity. He could see her shaking, the white-knuckled fists as she fought to control herself. "I don't understand, Mama."

"I found your father, Veten. I found Vegeta." He couldn't say any more, wide eyes staring sightlessly as he relived that horrid episode. One of the highest security labs, and he'd been told to clean it up because the normal guy had called in sick, and his record as Tengo was spotless. Starting, just like normal, dumping the trash, wiping down the desks before starting on the floor. Slipping on his freshly mopped floor, falling heavily against the bookcase - which swung open.

He had seen the figure in the tube, gone to look. Neatly dissected, each part laid out and labeled. The sudden shock as he recognized the upswept hair, the shape of the ruined face. How she could have preserved his body so well, Goten didn't know. He hadn't wanted to know. He went through the files in the room, too dazed to truly understand what he read, not dazed enough to not understand it. He'd broken the tube, piled the folders inside, the books, everything that would burn. Disabled the sprinkler system. Started the fire, stayed long enough to destroy the computers. And then, tears streaming, he'd run. Run as fast as he could, gotten his son, the flower, and gone to the cemetery.

"Mama?"

Goten pulled the capsule case back out, opened it. He selected one capsule, held it for a long moment, then popped it. He stripped the dress off, pulling on the clothes he'd worn the day he'd escaped CC the first time. The scissors made short work of the long locks he'd grown to be proud of, and spikes took their place. A brief burst of energy, and the locks were burned to nothing. "And now, Veten, you know the biggest secret of all."

His son blinked. "Mama? You're a guy? But…" and he remembered. "Oh. Oh! That's what you meant by hiding in the open!"

"Yes. Who would think anything of a woman with her child? But a man - a very young one with a baby? That's grounds for suspicion, apparently." He looked around, then proceeded to make it look as if a struggle took place. Another short blast of energy blasted out the window, enlarging the opening. He grabbed his son, and followed the blast.

Trunks looked around the apartment. Who was this Tengo Sheen? He'd met her exactly once, then discovered that she had broken into a high security lab, destroying it and the project underway. He was still trying to figure out what the project had been, his mother had been oddly reticent about telling him. But, her apartment had been trashed, one wall blown out. Had she not delivered her information on time?

However, it was the message on the wall that bothered him - and the file folder. "Don't you know what your mother did?" was written in red lipstick at the back of the closet. Her clothes had been there, the police had found the message during the search to see if any of the missing files from the project had been there. The file folder, on the floor beneath, had been labeled Vegeta. The two together, and her eerie resemblance to Goten, brought back the boy's disappearance, and the reason Kakarot had said he'd fled.

But, nothing had happened! No one had ever gone after him, or Goku, or Gohan. Pan and Bra had never been told, and, if Vegeta had been right, had never been in danger anyway. He was the Saiyan prince's oldest son, Goku the only surviving full-blood Saiyan. If his father had been right, wouldn't they have been the two most likely targets?

He sighed. As it was, Goku might wind up his step-father. Bulma certainly seemed to be showing more of that type of interest in him than any other, and certainly more of it than ever before. His father would undoubtedly burst from his grave if that happened.

A blue forget-me-not.

The woman's resemblance to Goten, her fear of him, her son's age.

The message and the folder.

The very brief bits of energy he thought he'd felt.

It came together suddenly. Tengo. Ten-go. Goten. The project he'd destroyed must have had something to do with his father - but what? What could have set him running again? Maybe a visit to the lab…

…which, naturally, was a wreck. He picked his way carefully through the debris, looking for anything that might possibly give him a clue. Anything at all. He sniffled. Finding Goten only to lose him… what the hell was that smell???? He sniffed again. Roasted meat? "What? Did someone get caught in the blaze?" he murmured, moving toward the place the smell seemed concentrated. It wasn't often that he bothered with his Saiyan side these days… there wasn't a whole lot of call for world-saving. And the pollution that had slowly worsened in the city was even more of a reason to try not to smell anything. Yet, this smelled more roasted than burned… how very odd.

He moved aside a burned board, possibly from one of the bookcases that had been piled on the bonfire Goten had built. Something beneath - yes, the smell came from under that. He moved it, brushed ash away. And staggered back. "Kami… no… no. This can't be!"

I FOUND OUT WHAT SHE DID. MEET ME AT OUR HIDEOUT.

Goten examined the billboard again. He'd seen several of these since the fire, even in the smallest towns they'd visited. They all said more or less the same thing. The hideout… he hadn't been there in years. Perhaps he should go. But he wouldn't put Veten at risk. Mr. Popo and Dende might take care of him while Goten went on to the hideout. He didn't think there would be any danger with that.

"Veten? We're going on a little trip. Here, you ride piggyback, and hang on tight." Goten glanced around, no one on the old road. He was in the air moments later.

Some time later, Veten finally got used enough to flying to try talking. "Mama? I mean, Dad…" Veten's voice trailed off, he was still having trouble with that little bit. "Ah, can I fly?"

"You should be able to. I'll teach you when I come back."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to leave you with Dende and Mr. Popo for a few days. That message on the billboard was for me. Trunks and I, when we were kids, we had a hideout where no one could find us. Not even my dad, and he tried more than once. I'm going to see what he has to say."

"And if it's a trap?" Veten shifted slightly, the wind was whipping his hair uncomfortably into his eyes again.

"I… I'm not sure. If it's a trap, I may very well not make it back." Goten stopped, hovering above Kami's Lookout. "If not, Dende and Mr. Popo will take care of you. Them, I trust. Dende has kept us a secret for the last eight years. He's known where we were."


	12. Safety, vengeance, justice

Writer's block got shunted to a different story! J So, here's this chappy!

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He stayed in the air, observing the area carefully. The hideout looked pretty much as it had the last time he'd been here, although there was no sign of anyone this time. He'd only been twelve, Veten's age, the last time he'd met Trunks here… it struck him as too odd that nothing had changed. He shot higher, not sure why he was so uneasy. But then, he'd been on the run since he was seventeen.

A speck of moving purple. Trunks. Coming to see if he was there, again. Trunks had come each time Goten had come to examine the area. He hovered, watching. Even from that height, he saw how his former friend's shoulders slumped when his hails weren't answered, when there was no sign that Goten had been there. So. He did really want to see him. Goten stayed where he was, flaring his chi very briefly. Just enough to catch the attention of the man who was suddenly in the air, streaking toward him.

"Goten! Are you all right? My brother? Is he okay? Where have you been? Why… what took you so long?!"

"I'm fine. So is Veten. I got us out in time. We've been in a safe place. I had to be sure it was safe to come."

Trunks looked slightly troubled. "You won't… tell me where, will you? You don't trust me. That's why you didn't come before."

"I haven't trusted anyone for years. But I came…"

They floated in silence for a moment, Trunks looking away. "I never knew. So many years passed, without anything happening to anyone. We all… didn't believe Father could be right."

"So, how did you find out?"

"I went back to the lab." Trunks' face twisted as he visibly fought against retching. "I had a case of the sniffles - the pollution these days really gets to me - and I caught the scent of roasted meat. Couldn't figure out… why." He paused, swallowing several times. "I found what was left of my father. A few files that hadn't burned completely, and two disks. I can't believe Mom would do that! But… I can't deny the evidence."

"Does she know what you found?"

"I haven't been able to talk to her about it. I get sick just thinking about it, I can't face her. I've stayed in my office since, even started sleeping there. I… was afraid I would be next. Since there wasn't a… a bod… body to… work with anymore."

"What about my father and brother?"

"Fine. They're fine. Gohan's so busy with his work that he's hardly ever around. And your dad… he's the same as ever."

"He… doesn't revert to Kakarot anymore, does he?"

"He hasn't since Vegeta died," Trunks admitted. "I think the last time was when he pulled me out of the gravity chamber, back then."

"Take this to him for me." Goten held out an envelope. Trunks hesitated a moment, then took it.

"I'll give it to him the next time he's over."

Goku turned the envelope over, frowning. Trunks had handed it to him on his way out, telling him to take a look at it after he got home. But the markings on it weren't his name. He wasn't really sure what they were. He opened it, pulled out the sheets within. A feral rumbling began, grew to a howl of rage-fueled despair as Kakarot responded to the contents.

He flung the door open, his tail thrashing in anger, eyes hard and glowing. He hit level three before he reached the treetops, shooting towards the Lookout. "Goten!"

"I'm here, Kakarot." Goten had no doubts about which personality inhabiting his father's body had come to visit. He stepped from behind one of the pillars. "You got my message."

"Yes. What does my prince demand?" Kakarot dropped to one knee, bowing to his son.

"Vengeance. Justice."

"Yes."

Goten studied him a moment. "My brother? Is he safe?"

"Too prominent to touch, as is Trunks. Both have high positions in their careers, and would be easily missed." Goten stayed silent. Kakarot caught on after only a second. "She treats the clown as always. I have seen no signs of danger there."

Goten shook his head. "You're wrong. I know she's after you. I saw the research she was doing, read files on it. She had a preliminary file started for you, Kakarot. She had one on all of us, but yours was thickest." He changed the topic. "Bra, how old is she now?"

Kakarot thought a moment. "A teen. She nears her change, I have seen the signs."

"Has her mother noticed?"

"No. She believes it normal for a girl of that age."

"Is she safe? Now that her father is… gone?"

Kakarot snorted. "She's her mother's perfect miniature. There is no danger."

"She may be, but I would not say the same about her child."

"Child?"

"You said she nears her change. Even the clown knows what must be done… and Bulma would take Bra to him, wouldn't she?"

"I… don't know."

"Don't know? She has gone to my father with her troubles for years!"

"She wants me for herself."

"Then I'd best get Bra out soon. The place isn't quite ready." He lead the warrior to the edge of the Lookout, pointing. "Can you see it? There's an island, with a dormant volcano. There's an extensive cave system. I've got some supplies laid in, enough for about a week with the prince and myself. I can get more tonight, and you bring Bra there in the morning."

"I will."

"I must rely on you, Kakarot."

Kakarot nodded. "I understand."

"My people must be safe before vengeance can be enacted." The young voice from behind them sent both men spinning. Veten had approached completely unnoticed. "I will have justice for what has been done."


	13. Bra's Cycle

There was something different about Bra that evening. He noticed it immediately. Her scent had changed, just slightly. He raised the bowl of rice, shoveling it into his face as fast as he could, doing his level best to imitate the clown. Bulma rested her hands on his shoulders, kneading the tense muscles.

"Goku! My word, I haven't seen you so stressed in a long time. What's happened?"

He glanced up at her, mouth full of rice, and grinned around it. "N'ff'n!" He swallowed. "I'm fine! Just practiced myself into knots, is all."

She continued to caress him; he allowed it. It did feel good. Slowly, he relaxed under her ministrations, listening all the time to the very faint growling coming from the sulky teen at the end of the table, noticing how the scent sharpened. It seemed the mother wasn't the only one who intended to have Goku as her own.

He ran his mind quickly over his options. He needed an excuse to stay here this evening, so that he would be able to take the girl to his prince the next morning. Either that, or an excuse to arrive bright and early the next morning. He relaxed a bit more, purring absently as Bulma continued her massage.

"Why don't you just tell him you want to fuck him, Mother?"

The hands on his shoulders stopped their movement as the woman behind him went nearly as stiff as he felt. "How dare you, young lady! Go to your room! Right now!"

"Make me." The young demi-Saiyan growled, now quite loud enough for her mother to hear. "It's true, and you know it. You want his body."

A chill raced down his spine at the very _knowing_ look the girl gave him. Kakarot realized immediately that she knew about her mother's experiments. "Bra, don't be silly. Your mom's my best friend in the world!" he made himself say.

"I wouldn't say that, Kakarot," she purred. "I wouldn't say that at all."

Kakarot blanched. He couldn't help it. Bra never called him Kakarot. Always Goku. And her scent had just sharpened considerably. The girl was _in_ her cycle - and it was different for females.

"Go to your room, Bra." Bulma's voice was ice-cold. "You'll find what you need there."

"I have what I need right in front of me, Mother." The last word was a definite insult. "Kakarot. A Saiyan male."

He drew back, not having expected so much venom from the girl. But he twisted in shock to look up at Bulma. "He belongs to me. You know that. You'll find what you need upstairs."

He had to take a moment to admire her courage. Of course, she didn't know he was Kakarot, not Goku. "Ladies?" he asked, his voice a morass of confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"My daughter has just hit Saiyan puberty," Bulma replied calmly. "What she needs to get through it is waiting for her in her room."

"Oh. Uh…" Kakarot's mind raced. She needed a male - one that could keep up with her. "What?"

"Your son," Bulma replied simply, "is repaying our family a favor."

Kakarot exploded from his chair, racing for the stairs. He knocked the door to Bra's room down, to find it empty. He shot a quick look around, taking in the princess pink shades the room was decorated in, then checked the closet and bathroom. His son was not there. "Gohan?"

The scent caught him by surprise, as did the swishing of the metal door that replaced the wooden one he'd broken. Bra purred, "No, Kakarot. Gohan isn't here."

He backed away slightly. "Bra? Why did your mom say he was? And what was that with me belonging to her. I don't either!"

She kept purring, moving closer, and shedding her clothes as she came. When he found himself unexpectedly up against the bed, he fell into it. She covered him an instant later, nuzzling against his neck. "She thought he was. I had Trunks take him home, though. I want you."

He reached up to push her off, found himself stroking her skin instead. Her scent was overwhelming. If he _had_ been the idiot, he'd already be naked and joined with her. Instead, he rolled, pinning her slim body beneath his. "And belonging to her? Why did she say I belonged to her?"

She just laughed, tugging his belt loose. "She thinks you do. We both know better, don't we, Kakarot? Mother isn't a Saiyan, not at all. Not like me." Her hands slid inside his clothes, worming his shirt off. "And you can take me out of here, can't you? My room's just like the GR, only stronger. She modified it after she found out about the change. Modified it to be able to keep me trapped in here with Gohan or Trunks until I was pregnant, so she could have another little Saiyan half-breed to study.

"Did you know she studied my father?" His shirt was off, her hands skimmed over his skin as she looked up at him. "She ran all kinds of tests on my father. Even took him to a special laboratory, bred him with other humans so she could study the fetuses."

Kakarot blanched. _Bra_ knew about that as well? "What?"

"The GR was a laboratory too, although my father didn't realize that. All he knew was that it made him stronger, so he used it constantly. She gassed him, took him to this other place." Her hands strayed, began pushing his pants down. "And she kept him so well-drugged that he did everything he was told to do, no matter how icky. But if he didn't, then he was punished. I watched. Mother had me watch so I would know what would happen if I didn't obey her. She was so angry when you went and fetched him out and blew up her lab. But nobody knew it was hers, so she didn't get in trouble."

Kakarot drew back. "Bulma… she was the one who… did all that… who made him have those nightmares!"

She took the opportunity to shove his pants down over his hips, and hooked her toes in them to pull them completely off. "Yes. As soon as he finally came back home, she started more tests. Those ones included Goten, of course, as soon as it became obvious that he was staying. She was elated when she realized he was pregnant - and she knew that long before she delivered the child. But, she had to be careful with you."

"Why?"

"Simple, Kakarot." She turned them so that she straddled him, leaning forward to nip at his jawbone. His tail rose, wrapping around her waist, guiding her. "She wants you."

He rocked his hips slightly, grazing her. "So?"

She tried to sink down on him, his tail tightened to hold her in place. Bra frowned, then raked her nails lightly down his chest and stomach. He gasped. She smiled. "She wants something from you."

"What?" He was hard-pressed not to give in to the teasing, taunting girl over him. Her scent was overwhelming him, but she wasn't yet in need. Not great enough for him to give her what she so obviously sought, at any rate. Kakarot bucked again, giving her just a little taste of what she wanted. "What does she want?"

"Ah, Kakarot." Again, nails trailed their way over his body. "She wants you. Mind, body, and soul, the way Chi-Chi never had you. So tied to her that you'd do anything she asked if it would keep her happy. Even breed her a small army of demi-Saiyans."

"What?!" He shoved her back, standing, but keeping his tail wrapped around her waist. "An army of demi-Saiyans?"

"Bred from me, my brother, your sons, and your granddaughter," Bra told him with a wicked smile, continuing to caress him. "I thought you should know my mother plans to rule the world. She's got all the money she could ever use, but she's been gathering power. She just needs an army - and even a demi-Saiyan child is a powerful weapon. And you, of course, would protect her from us."

"How do you know all of this?" His mind was in such turmoil that her scent and touch were no longer affecting him as much.

"Simple. First off, I saw the torture she put my father through. And second, I'm a hacker. I got into her files. Her private files. So I visited that particular lab, and read through every last bit of information that was in it."

"You didn't do anything?"

"And the very next day, Goten burned everything up." A very cold, calculating look was in her eyes now, one that reminded him of Vegeta. "I happen to be able to tell the difference between Goku and you, Kakarot. You are here to get me out, aren't you? Mom talked Gohan into being here to repay the family favor, so that I wouldn't cross-breed with my brother.

"But I told Trunks last night what I'd found out, told him about Gohan. Trunks, Gohan, and Pan are somewhere else. They're all shielding. I'd be picked up, too young to be away from my parents, so I stayed when they left. Besides, you needed to be warned."

"I already knew. Trunks gave me a package of pictures this morning." He hadn't seen or sensed the young demi-Saiyan since, he realized suddenly. He stretched his senses, searching. "They must be shielding very well."

Fingers ruffled through his tail. He gasped, getting a full dose of her scent. He pulled her close, tumbling them onto the bed.

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Jewel doesn't feel like writing a lemon. Use your imagination. It's probably better anyhow.


End file.
